Wendel A. White: Schools for the Colored

Wendel A. White: Schools for the Colored

Wendel A. White's photographic project, Schools for the Colored, delves into the legacy of racial segregation in America’s educational system. Through his lens, White captures the architectural remnants of segregated schools that are scattered across the Northern "free" states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. These schoolhouses, located on the boundary between North and South, represent an unresolved past for White and remain “one of the enduring spaces for the definition of race and class identity in the American landscape.” In Schools for the Colored, White challenges viewers to confront the legacies of racial segregation. His photographs serve as a testament to the resilience of the African American community and are a reminder of the barriers that have been overcome and of those that still exist.

[image]
Bruce School  2007
Future City, Illinois
Wendel White (b. 1956)
pigment inkjet print on paper
Courtesy of the artist
R2024.1301.002