Jacob Lawrence and the Legend of John Brown presents a recently acquired portfolio of prints by the acclaimed Black modernist Jacob Lawrence (1917–2000). Lawrence originally produced The Legend of John Brown as paintings in 1941, but, due to problems related to the stability of the gouache used in the series, in 1974 he collaborated with printers to translate this important body of work to screen prints. Lawrence drew inspiration for the 22 prints in the series from research he conducted at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture at the New York Public Library, notably Franklin B. Sanborn’s The Life and Letters of John Brown, Liberator of Kansas and Martyr of Virginia, published in 1885. Lawrence’s account of Brown’s life and death includes consideration of his time in Kansas, where Brown first employed violence in his quest to rid the country of slavery.

"Let the world see what they did to my boy” were the heart-wrenching words spoken by Mamie Till-Mobley, who insisted on an open casket for her 14-year-old son. Emmett Till was brutally tortured and murdered for whistling at a white woman while visiting family in Money, Mississippi in 1955.

This traveling exhibition tells the story of Emmett and his mother, whose brave actions fueled the Civil Rights Movement. The show covers Emmett’s childhood, kidnapping, murder, funeral, and the ongoing legacy of these events. A bullet-ridden historical marker noting the location where Emmett’s body was removed from the Tallahatchie River reminds viewers that while progress has been made since 1955, there is still much work to be done. Learning about ongoing racism and violence can motivate and empower visitors to make a ripple for justice in their own communities.

One History, Two Versions, a companion exhibition to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See, features art by contemporary Black artists that expands on themes in the traveling exhibition including Black life, Black love, media representation, and activism. It draws on Emmett and Mamie’s legacies to explore both historical and contemporary events of racial violence and racial justice movements.