Carver’s story is included in the Norwalk Historical Society’s new exhibit: “Destination Norwalk: African-American Migration from the South, 1940-1970”.
This exhibition is an extension of the “Norwalk: Portrait of Diversity” exhibit. It highlights the migration of 5 million black Americans from southern states during the “The Second Migration”, from 1940 to 1970, to urban industrial centers of the North, Midwest and West. This mass exodus was spurred on by civil, economic and educational injustices that made up everyday life in the South. As the racial composition of Norwalk changed, the City’s political priorities, labor relations, community and cultural expression evolved in these decades of major Civil Rights reforms.
The curator, Kathleen Motes Bennewitz, gave our community her great skills and putting this worthy story together. Kathleen has served as Director of Exhibitions & Programs at the Greenwich Historical Society and Fairfield Museum and History Center, and exhibition curator at Norwalk’s Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum, where the exhibit, The Stairs Below: The Mansion’s Domestic Servants, 1868-1938 , recently won a Leadership in History Award, AASLH’s highest distinction. She also serves as Westport’s Town Curator and has organized exhibitions for museums across the country, including the Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum at University of Minnesota and Amon Carter Museum, and worked in education at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
Some photos in this exhibit are courtesy of Rev. Dr. Merle Rumble and Rev. Dewitt Stevens, Jr.
The Norwalk Historical Society was incorporated in 1899 with the focus on “the research, preservation, and promotion of interest in the history of Norwalk.” Through their many educational exhibits, programs and lectures, they highlight Norwalk’s rich history and diversity in the region. The Norwalk Historical Society Museum was opened on December 5, 2015 in the former Lockwood House, built in 1973.
Carver is grateful to the leaders at the Norwalk Historical Society: Diane Jellerette, Executive Director; Samantha Kulish, Events/Program Coordinator; and the Board of Directors: Jo-Anne Schultz, President; Khalaf Jerry, Vice-President; Treasurer, Tom Schierloh; Jane Broome; Secretary; and Evelyn Aman, Ed Eckert, Madeleine Eckert, and David Westmoreland.
