Today, African Americans make up just 1% of the Lewes population, a staggering drop from the 25% recorded by the U.S. Census during the 1960s. However, when Darryl Daisey began virtually uploading his late godmother’s extensive photography collection of 20th-century African-American life in Lewes, it sparked an online movement in the Delaware community.
These photos—some taken by his godmother, others collected—helped the Lewes Historical Society (LHS) and Lewes African American Heritage Commission (LAAHC) preserve a nearly forgotten history with a record-setting exhibit titled “Voices Heard: The History and Legacy of the Black Community in Lewes.”
The LHS exhibit kicked off with 150 visitors attending its opening reception on April 19, including local representatives, history makers and members of the late Langston Hughes family. “Voices Heard” features 28 photographs from the late 1800s to the 1960s that provide a cohesive narrative of the black community that once played a significant role in creating the culture of Lewes. The exhibit’s photographs are on public display for the first time, many on loan from the Daisey Family Legacy Collection.
“This is only the tip of the iceberg in terms of sharing the journey of the black community of Lewes,” says Trina Brown-Hicks, a member of the LAAHC and chair of the Johnnie Walker Beach Subcommittee.
Brown-Hicks was instrumental in launching the exhibit and the Voices Heard documentary, which debuted last year. The documentary runs on a continuous loop at the exhibit.
“I didn’t expect such an overwhelming [online] response,” says Daisey, the family historian of one of Lewes’ most prominent African-American legacies. “People recognized their family members and started sharing stories about the pictures.”
Visitors are greeted at the “Voices Heard” entrance by a late 1800s charcoal sketch of James “Alfred” Daisey and his grandson, William S. Daisey. The exhibit also highlights the unsung stories of African-American Lewestowners during segregation in the 1950s and 1960s, featuring a never-before-seen image of Genda Smith, mother of future Lewes Mayor George H.P. Smith, at Lewes Beach 2 (now Johnnie Walker Beach) during the 1920s or 1930s.
Up until the 1940s, limited educational and employment opportunities led to over 70% of black individuals in Delaware working as domestic servants or day laborers, while only 12% of the white workforce held such positions. This disparity was likely even more pronounced in Sussex County, where no school awarded high school diplomas to black or Native American students until 1950.
Gloria Harmon, née Allen, the first black graduate of Lewes High School in 1963, attended the exhibit opening, supported by younger Daisey siblings Sarah Minor and Deborah Street. Harmon and her five siblings, along with the three oldest Daisey family siblings, integrated into the Lewes public school system when the schools voluntarily opened to black students in the early 1960s.
“We hope it fosters meaningful dialogue in today’s divisive climate,” shares Marcos Salaverria, LHS director of education. “The vibrant black community that helped build and sustain Lewes is all but gone.” The exhibit also displays one of the oldest known photographs of Lewes, according to scholars, estimated to be from the mid- to late 1800s.
The gallery encourages people to think about the past and apply those teachings to the present. “I hope everyone walks away with, ‘Why should we all care about this?’” Salaverria says. “Voices Heard helps connect the puzzle pieces that put together the entire history of Lewes.”
The exhibit is open through December 29 at the Lewes History Museum. For more information, go to historiclewes.org.
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