Savannah Agenda’s Eric Curl has put together a three-story package this week on the late Civil Rights activist and artist Virginia Kiah and the two-decade delay in settling her estate, the curiosity of what SCAD may be doing with the artist’s works, and the hard-fought efforts to save her house by the Savannah Historic Foundation.
In addition to serving as a community museum, Kiah’s Savannah home was a meeting place for residents and a safe haven for Civil Rights activists, political figures, artists and athletes at a time when participants in the movement were targeted and Blacks had limited lodging options, Kiah’s nephew, Michael Bowen Mitchell, said in January. Notable visitors included Julian Bond, Rosa Parks, Daisy Bates, Thurgood Marshall, Jackie Robinson, Langston Hughes and Jesse Owens.
Curl’s stories and observations, linked above, highlight some of the confounding issues of saving Black landmarks and keeping the work of Black artists accessible to the public. The update on the frustrating delays and the fallout from them are well worth your time this weekend. See his regular public meeting agenda collection and observations here.
The Tide features regular news and observations from The Current’s staff.