Slavery Mural in Georgia State Dept. of Agriculture Questioned, Some Express Shock at its Placement in a Government Building

The Georgia State Department of Agriculture has stirred up a hornet's nest on its own. Personally, I don't see it as a black mark, but as a reminder of how we have come as a people, with blacks in some of the highest positions in this country. Of course, there are many who beg to differ. The mural, part of a series by artist George Beattie dated 1956, is hung in the lobby of the building. According to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, some visitors were taken aback, some confused and some angry. Some have expressed shock that the slavery mural was so prominently placed in a government building.

The AJC recently inquired about the mural was was told that the mural is one of eight original paintings on two floors that were commissioned to create a visual timeline of agriculture in Georgia. So, that makes sense. We can never wipe the slate clean where slavery is concerned. But we can grow from the experiences of our fore parents and tap into the extraordinary strength they possessed in the face of such odds. However, our contribution to agriculture in this state should not be limited to slavery. I wonder why the mural has flew under the radar for so long. I guess the reason lies in the fact that about 200 people work in the building and it averages about 12 to 15 visitors daily, according to department officials.

There are four murals in the lobby, including the one at the reception desk. Two represent Native American and Colonial times; two depict slavery. Upstairs are more contemporary scenes — a farmers market; truck farming, with a black man and a white man working side by side; and researchers in a lab. An eighth painting that showed a farmer consulting with his county Extension agent was removed when a hallway was reconfigured, Arty Schronce said.

The murals were commissioned for the building that was completed in 1956, the year Georgia’s state flag was changed to incorporate the controversial Confederate flag. They were painted by the late George Beattie, a noted local artist who was executive director of the Georgia Council for the Arts from 1967 to 1975.

The new handout describing them includes a quote from Beattie, who acknowledged in a 1995 article that his slavery murals were troubling to some. “As a human being, I am vehemently opposed to slavery, as anyone should be,” Beattie was quoted as saying, “but it was a significant epoch in our history; it would have been inaccurate not to include this period.” Source: Atlanta Journal Constitution

I am not offended by this because it is factually based. We cannot magically snap our fingers and wish slavery didn't happen. Some have felt that it reinforces the image of blacks' subservience to white people. Must we always walk around with an inferiority complex? Though slavery is a blood stain on America's history, we can learn some valuable lessons about the tenacity, determination and unity among our fore parents. In the face of adversity, they never gave up hope that one day things would be better. We just can't block the portion of our heritage from plain view when it suits us.

Joseph Showell, Grand Prairie High School Principal Takes Heat for Singling out Black Students to Improve their TAKS Scores

Principal Joseph Showell told the students

that their performance on TAKS affects

the school's rating. COURTNEY PERRY/DMN

So, a principal takes the time to show his students that he cares about their test scores enough to talk to them as a group and suddenly he's doing something wrong. I guess Grand Prairie High School principal Joseph Showell took a calculated risk, but sometimes that's what is needed to help our students realize their fullest potentials. He called 60 black students into a meeting and challenged them to do better on their TAKS tests. Let me also interject that Principal Showell is also black. So, the race card couldn't be pulled in this case. He felt that he could motivate them to do better, but wait, where are the parents' role in helping their children? Some of the kids appreciated what he did, but of course, there are always dissenters who see the glass half-empty and not half-full.

Principal Joseph Showell told the students that their performance on TAKS affects the school's rating. All of them were on the bubble. They had either narrowly failed or barely passed the exam last year.

Showell theorized that he could motivate the students to do better this year by explaining that their performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills is important to the school's overall academic rating and reputation.

Such is the high-pressure world of TAKS testing, which plays out in March and April. Bad scores in a single subject by just one student subgroup – blacks, Hispanics, whites and the economically disadvantaged – can torpedo a school's academic ranking or sink a principal's career.

Some students appreciated his candor. Others were offended and felt singled out for criticism because they are black. "I said [to the principal], 'How can you call us stupid and not expect us to get mad," said Ashanti Rose, one of the black students called to the meeting last month.

At Grand Prairie High School, the black student subgroup had dragged the school's rating down in 2006 and 2007. Showell, who is black, decided in 2008 that it was time for a straight talk with the black students. He says he never called them stupid or demeaned them. Source: Dallas Morning News

This is the first time, from what I have read, that someone took the time to explain the situation to these kids and I applaud Mr. Showell for doing so. In 2008, black student scores improved and the school moved from academically unacceptable to acceptable. We need more principals like Joseph Showell to help our kids and more parents need to take the time to help their kids.

Joseph Showell, Grand Prairie High School Principal Takes Heat for Singling out Black Students to Improve their TAKS Scores

Principal Joseph Showell told the students

that their performance on TAKS affects

the school's rating. COURTNEY PERRY/DMN

So, a principal takes the time to show his students that he cares about their test scores enough to talk to them as a group and suddenly he's doing something wrong. I guess Grand Prairie High School principal Joseph Showell took a calculated risk, but sometimes that's what is needed to help our students realize their fullest potentials. He called 60 black students into a meeting and challenged them to do better on their TAKS tests. Let me also interject that Principal Showell is also black. So, the race card couldn't be pulled in this case. He felt that he could motivate them to do better, but wait, where are the parents' role in helping their children? Some of the kids appreciated what he did, but of course, there are always dissenters who see the glass half-empty and not half-full.

Principal Joseph Showell told the students that their performance on TAKS affects the school's rating. All of them were on the bubble. They had either narrowly failed or barely passed the exam last year.

Showell theorized that he could motivate the students to do better this year by explaining that their performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills is important to the school's overall academic rating and reputation.

Such is the high-pressure world of TAKS testing, which plays out in March and April. Bad scores in a single subject by just one student subgroup – blacks, Hispanics, whites and the economically disadvantaged – can torpedo a school's academic ranking or sink a principal's career.

Some students appreciated his candor. Others were offended and felt singled out for criticism because they are black. "I said [to the principal], 'How can you call us stupid and not expect us to get mad," said Ashanti Rose, one of the black students called to the meeting last month.

At Grand Prairie High School, the black student subgroup had dragged the school's rating down in 2006 and 2007. Showell, who is black, decided in 2008 that it was time for a straight talk with the black students. He says he never called them stupid or demeaned them. Source: Dallas Morning News

This is the first time, from what I have read, that someone took the time to explain the situation to these kids and I applaud Mr. Showell for doing so. In 2008, black student scores improved and the school moved from academically unacceptable to acceptable. We need more principals like Joseph Showell to help our kids and more parents need to take the time to help their kids.