African American Community of Fayetteville

Many important influences are the reasons that Fayetteville has been given the title of being historic. However it is very rare that the reasons behind that title are African Americans.  My museum is a History and Natural History because I want to display the unknown history instead of the known history.

The most important permanent exhibit in my museum will be a statue of a powerful couple who worked as pillars in the African American community of Fayetteville. Edward and Sallie Evans were two people who believed in giving back to the community. During their time they were educators in the small town of Fayetteville, Sallie explored other career paths as the Evans couple was bound to make the community a better place. Mrs. Evans also was a financial backer who purchased lands and deeds.  This inspired couple wanted to give back to the community and wanted no rewards in return for doing it. Together they concurred what many African Americans were afraid to do, but the Evans’s didn’t let anything stand in their way. The devotion that they gave to Fayetteville came with many years of hard work and for that they have important buildings and landmarks that coincided with their legacy. Along with the statue there will be a note displayed, this was a Thank you note given to Mrs. Evans for a $5 donation she gave to a school that her and her husband taught at. Just another example of the difference the couple made.

The city of Fayetteville has a population of 200,564 people of that 41% of those people are African American. The statue that will stand in my museum will represent those 41% of people who should be proud of the great history that these two people made for them.  Edward and Sallie aren’t taught in history class and they are not well known African Americans, however, this couple made a difference in the African American community in a time when it wasn’t easy making it in the city of Fayetteville. It represents the importance of the group by saying “When you stand together you are a better force”. This couple represents the unknown history.

There are many ways that ethnic and group identity contributes to how citizen view the city. When you build museums and monuments to show the city’s history you are given more educations and also given citizens a place to be proud of. However when you give known and unknown history in one sanctuary you show growth and given citizens a better chance of uniting and unity. Citizens view there city the way the city presents it to the citizens. Meaning if you show division you get division if you show unity you get unity. Let all history shine so that there will be no more ethnic and group identity but so there can be one group and one identity and that’s human.