Resources
Family & Educators Guide to the Ed Johnson Memorial
Designed to support discussing racial violence and lynching in the United States and specifically in Hamilton County, TN.
Helpful Links:
Educators
Tennessee Social Studies Standards
Tennessee English Language Arts Standards
About
This guide and the linked resources within it are designed to support open dialogue about discussing racial violence and lynching in the United States and specifically in Hamilton County, Tennessee. You are encouraged to use them in connection with the Ed Johnson Memorial and its accompanying written information.
The best way to begin these difficult conversations is to have tools and vocabulary available to clearly express the history of racial injustice and violence in age-appropriate and honest ways.
It is important to look at what we, as educators and learners, already know and what we need to learn about the history of racial violence in the United States.
Lynching and the discussion of these occurrences is often an uncomfortable and emotional endeavor. Learning about lynching, slavery, and racial terror is difficult for people of all ages and should be approached with care and consideration.
Before you begin, check in with yourself—how are you feeling? Where do you need to be supported? What do you need to learn?
Create a safe space, without distractions, to find out what the youth in your life know or need to know about current events and issues like racial violence and lynching. Most importantly, listen deeply and acknowledge their feelings.
Answer their questions as best you can—offer information in small doses, and research vocabulary, history and other resources like the ones in this guide to support them (and yourself) in understanding the impact of these events. If you aren’t able to answer their questions, be open about your own learning process and offer to find the answers for them.
Beyond terror and trauma are stories of resistance and resilience.
Work together to commit to action in ways that feel empowered and comfortable. Action can look like many things, from protests and petitions, to speaking out to active listening. Reading books on relevant topics, listening to appropriate podcasts or documentaries or following activist and community leaders on social media are all action steps. These actions are the foundation of positive change.
For 4th – 12th Grade Educators
Addressing Lynching and Racial Violence: Discussion and Classroom Connections
History, despite its wrenching pain,
Cannot be unlived, but if faced
With courage, need not be lived again. -Maya Angelou, On the Pulse of Morning
In the United States, there is a legacy of racial inequality shaped by the enslavement of millions of Black people. The era of slavery was followed by decades of terrorism and racial subordination, most dramatically evidenced by lynching. Avoiding honest conversation about this history has undermined our ability to build a nation where racial justice can be achieved. (Equal Justice Initiative, www.eij.org)
Located in Gallery 1
I wonder... Does this look familiar to you?
Many of George Washington’s portraits and profiles look the same. Take a look at a selection of George Washington’s portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C. Washington Everywhere | National Portrait Gallery
Why do you think so may artists would use the same image over and over again? How did this contribute to new Americans learning about the founding of the United States?
Think of other portraits you have seen and look at other images below—what does each one tell us about the person featured? What has the artist shared with us about the subject of the painting?
SSP.01 Gather information from a variety of sources
SSP.05 Develop historical awareness by: Sequencing past, present, and future in chronological order and Understanding that things change over time
SS.4.08 Determine the importance of different groups to the American Revolution
Located in Gallery 1
Located in Gallery 1
ACTIVITY SUGGESTIONS
Students will read and analyze the poem Going Beyond the Ed Johnson Memorial by Jerome Meadows and then create their own proposal for a memorial or altered monument.
We have seen in recent history how monuments that commemorate the past in ways that tell only one side of the story have been altered, deconstructed and/or removed by citizens who want to expand and update the way we look at historical figures and events. New memorials, like the Ed Johnson Memorial and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, are examples of this broader, more transparent and accountable discussion of United States history.
Part #1
Read the following poem by Jerome Meadows, the Ed Johnson Memorial sculptor and artist.
Work in small groups to address the questions below, then discuss as a class.
Stop to look up words and ask questions about their meaning in connection with the story in the poem.
INSTRUCTIONS
- How are specific words used to create emotions?
- List examples. (i.e. trademark- used in conjunction with the noose, referencing its common use in lynching and foreshadowing what will happen next)
- How do the different people in the poem feel—the white mob, the black community, and Ed Johnson at the center? Can you find specific examples of their expressed emotions in the text?
- What can be learned about the terror of lynching and the social and political impact of racism throughout United States history and today?
Located in Gallery 1
Located in Gallery 1
Not on view
Something to consider: STEM Connection
Artists were key players in documenting conflicts both to share with the public and to create a record of events. Do some research about the methods used in the artworks from the Hunter Museum. How would an etching or lithograph reach a different group of people than a painting? How would these inventions (and others like photography and film) affect the ways in which Americans learned about and responded to conflict?
SSP.01 Gather information from a variety of sources, including media and technology sources
Paper
Air dry clay
Markers
Pencil
Mixed media materials
Part #2
Visit and research the Ed Johnson Memorial and other memorials that address the history and consequence of racial violence, like the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. Use the resources below to facilitate research and discussion about these topics.
The Ed Johnson Memorial: https://www.edjohnsonproject.com/the-memorial/
National Memorial for Peace and Justice: https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial
Equal Justice Initiative- Community Remembrance Project: https://eji.org/projects/community-remembrance-project/
Resource on the history and impact of lynching in America: https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/report/
Teaching Race and Racism (High School Level curriculum): https://lynchinginamerica.eji.org/drupal/sites/default/files/2019-11/EJI%20High%20School%20Lesson%20Plan.pdf
DISCUSSION
What symbols were used to represent the people and the actions depicted by the memorials?
How do audiences physically view these works? How does this affect the interpretation and emotional impact of the work? Consider the size, location, materials, symbolism and written information (also known as didactics) provided at the memorial sites.
How is the Ed Johnson Memorial different than other monuments and memorials in and around Chattanooga, both in its physical construction and content?
Are there other memorials and installations in the city? Which ones are similar or aim to further the discussion on this issue?
INSTRUCTIONS
- Think about a monument or memorial you believe could be more inclusive or one that could be made to address conversations and issues that are important to you.
- What would it look like? Consider materials, size, and location as well as symbolism.
- How would you change or alter an existing monument? Which one, how and why?
- Design and build your own monument.
- Share and discuss the artwork or design.
Located in Gallery 4
Located in Gallery 4
Located in Gallery 14
Art can be an expression of identity and culture. Some communities have had these important personal representations threatened because they were different or were in opposition to new ideas being brought by expanding frontiers.
Look at the following 3 artworks that respond to the impact on the people and the land during the Westward Expansion of the United States.
Consider: what emotions do you see represented? Can you find examples of how it felt to lose something very important? Can you also find examples of resilience? What symbols, colors, and details did the artist use to share these emotions?
SS.3.22 Examine how American Indian cultures changed as a result of contact with European cultures, including: decreased population, spread of disease (smallpox), increased conflict, loss of territory, and increase in trade.
Located in Gallery 5
Located in Gallery 5
Located in Gallery 5
Cities also expanded rapidly during the mid 19th century. People came to the United States from all over the world! In cities like New York, many diverse groups of people lived very close together. Trains, trolleys, and streets showcased the many ways lives overlapped.
Look at the images below: Find people who are working, resting, excited, nervous, and confident. What are they doing? Where do you think they are going?
SSP.03 Organize data from a variety of sources in order to: Compare and contrast multiple sources, Recognize differences between multiple accounts, and Frame appropriate questions for further investigation
R.1. Cornerstone Read closely to determine what a text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
Located in Gallery 3
Located in Gallery 12
Located in Gallery 14
Listen to the song Poor Old Joe by Paul Robeson, a renowned singer during the early 1900s and the Harlem Renaissance. During the Great Migration, many African Americans travelled to cities in the North in search of new opportunities and equality while others remained and worked in agriculture in the South. How do the lyrics connect to the artwork?*
*This is an artwork about migration by someone who was an immigrant (rather than a migrant) but has overlapping themes for both experiences as discussed above
Left: Hung Liu (1948-2021), I Hear Their Gentle Voice Calling, 2017, mixed media, multi-layer resin, 82 x 82 in. Toledo Museum of Art. Purchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey.
Located in Gallery 12
Located in Gallery 15
Activity: What Were They Thinking?
Immerse yourself in the world of Reginald Marsh's Subway - 14th Street and consider the variety of intersecting lives featured in the painting. Using the attached guide, write what do you think these New York City subway-goers were thinking at that moment in time.
Download activity
Immigrants have been crucial in shaping American history and culture. Many of America’s most celebrated artists were immigrants or the children of immigrants who chose to build their lives in the U.S.
Located in Gallery 18
Located in Gallery 18
Look at the artworks above and at left: Think about how these two artists combine images from American culture with historical Japanese and Korean art to create something new.
Located in Gallery 1
Activity: Celebration Flag
Mimi Herbert left half of the work Celebration Flag blank, suggesting an opportunity for viewers to add their own ideas to complete the flag. Flags are used to identify a place using colors and symbols—The United States flag uses 50 stars for the 50 states, 13 stripes for the 13 original colonies, blue for justice, red for valor and bravery, and white for purity and innocence. Use the blank space provided in the activity below to share how you would complete Mimi’s flag.
Located in Gallery 13
Contemporary art continues to address themes of identity, conflict, movement and our changing world. Contemporary can be defined as “right now.” All artwork is contemporary at the time it is made and reflects the social, political and personal impacts of the artist’s environment. Look at the works below. How do these artworks reflect on history as well as the “right now”?
Not on view
Not on view
Not on view
