The Black Family: Representation

Publish Date: April 1, 2021

On February 24, the CHC Black History Month ’21 closing ceremony featured CSUSB educator and current fellow of the California Arts Project, Dr. Kathryn M. Ervin. Throughout her interactive presentation, Ervin walked participants through the historical importance of the Black family by highlighting artistic works from legendary Black painters (Henry Ossawa Tanner, 1857-1937), photographers (James Van Der Zee), actors (Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis), and musicians (the Marsalis family). Ervin explained that although their contributions had enormous influence across a variety of genres, each of these artists gained national recognition for similar reasons. Their efforts in print, on canvas, or on stage directly “countered the narrative of the Black family as having or being less than anyone else,” explained Ervin. Images of a father and son saying grace at a dinner table, Black family members dressed in evening gowns or sailor uniforms, strong Black characters in film, or prolific musicianship all offered generational snapshots of the Black experience in America that were different than those expressed in the mainstream. “As Black Americans migrated from the South, the role of the arts became very important,” said Ervin. Despite the tragedies connected to the Black experience, these artists used their respective mediums to present images and ideas uplifting the Black family. “Our families are an important resource that contribute to the fibers of who we are. Let us celebrate [their wisdom] and pass it along,” concluded Ervin.