University of Memphis students, faculty and staff have the opportunity to nominate their personal heroes for recognition in an exhibit called “Choosing to Participate.”
The national, multi-media exhibition, being put on by the organization Facing History and Ourselves, opened in Boston and will travel to Chicago and New York before arriving in Memphis Feb. 17.
The exhibit consists of three main components: a spotlight of three stories of Americans who took a stand in their communities, “Community Stories,” and a student art exhibit.
“The Hero Next Door: Community Stories” will be an exhibit of a selection of 15 to 20 individuals in the community who have made a difference. Individuals in the Mid-South are invited to nominate a community member with a writtten statment, creative story or poem.
“We’re looking for people making a difference in the community, someone who quietly does thing behind the scenes,” Lisa Pounds, director of the exhibit said. “People don’t have to go out and be the Michael Jordan’s of the world — it’s really about just getting involved.”
Nominations will be evaluated by representatives from the new Memphis Shelby County Pupblic Library, the Commercial Appeal, International Paper, Facing History and Ourselves staff and board members and retired teachers. The deadline for submission is Nov. 5, and entry forms can be downloaded from www.facinghistory.org.
Those selected for the exhibit will then be photographed by well-known Memphis photographer Ernest Withers.
“He will go into their neighborhoods and photograph them in their own environments,” Pounds said.
The black and white photographs will be framed and shown first at the new library.
After “Choosing to Participate” moves on to another city, the photographs will remain on display in various businesses around Memphis, Pounds said.
Pounds said nominees can be anyone, including a teacher, neighboor, parent, sibling or coach. She said one nomination was from an elementary student who nominated his five-year-old sister because of how she was handling a serious illness. Pounds stresses that the nominations should have a personal touch and be about someone in this area.
In addition to the “Community Stories,” the program will showcase three exhibits of Americans who made a difference in their community.
“Little Things Are Big” will focus on African American and Puerto Rican writer Jesus Colon, as he reflects on a late night subway encounter in New York City.
“Crisis in Little Rock” focuses on Elizabeth Eckford and her response to the integration of Central High School in 1957.
“Not in Our Town” spotlights the citizens of Billings, Mont. and their response to a series of violent acts by hate groups in 1993.
