Black Presence in the Arts at UMass Amherst and within HFA
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“There is a long history of Black creativity on this campus,” says Jamilla Deria, executive director of the UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. Indeed, the unmistakable legacy of Black students, faculty, and staff at UMass Amherst dates back to the late 19th century, as chronicled through the UMass Amherst Black Presence Project.
Robust activism in the 1960s and 1970s signaled the organization of festivals, performances, and academic programming; brought prominent Black artists, musicians, and educators to campus; and saw the appointment of the university’s first Black chancellor, whose priorities and efforts laid the groundwork for current arts programming at UMass Amherst. “What this allowed for was an expanding sense of belonging,” explains Deria. "To do that through art and culture was a revolutionary act then and continues to be a revolutionary act today.”