Through the power of poetry and artwork Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. profiles revolutionary Black men whose journeys have altered the course of history and culture in the United States. Ford Fund has sponsored this exhibit in partnership with the Smithsonian as it has made its way across the United States over the last few years.
Alongside profiles of remarkable men like Muhammad Ali, James Baldwin, Ta-Nehisi Coates, W.E.B DuBois, and Kendrick Lamar are the works and stories of lesser known changemakers like Dr. Rob Gore, a Brooklyn physician and founder of the Kings Against Violence Initiative (KAVI), a nonprofit that offers alternatives to the at-risk youths Gore found himself treating in the ER after they’d become victims of violence.
Shaka Senghor, a Detroit native, spent seven years in solitary confinement while serving time in prison for a crime he committed at age 19. Now 50, Senghor is a New York Times bestselling author, one of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, and one of the men featured in the exhibition. He’s also a 2016 recipient of the Ford Freedom Award.
“I think it’s special that young men can walk into a museum and can see the bigger, more recognizable names,” Senghor said. “But what I found to be most impactful is when they can walk in and see somebody whose experiences mirrors that of their uncles, their dads and even their own experiences.”
