“King in New York” is one of the current exhibitions in the Museum of the City of New York. It provides a unique view of Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and works, especially his connection with New York and the world. Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important civil rights activists of the 20th century. He spent his life seeking equality and human rights for African Americans. He played a significant role in bringing about such landmark legislation as the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. He was best known for his speech “I Have a Dream” that inspired more people to keep peace and gain equality. Instead of talking about Martin Luther King Jr.’s legendary and well-known actions and contributions, the exhibition emphasizes …show more content…
I found out that “King in New York” was divided into three sections. First is “King and the Global City,” which shows how he viewed on the Vietnam War and global politics and how he connected with global issues through New York. Second is “King on the New York Stage,” which talks about his actions in New York and what role the city played in the long black freedom movement. The third is “Remembering King,” which focuses on New Yorkers’ actions after his assassination in 1968. All these sections consist of numerous photographs and the description of what the photographs are about. These photographs were organized either by the same event or the same period. Some of the photographs were put together according to the same photographer, including John C. Goodwin, Benedict J. Fernandez, and Austin …show more content…
I think the advantage of the exhibition is the way the museum organizes the photographs. They are displayed in black-and-white style and the area where these photographs are showing is covering with dark colors, like black and grey. I think the museum uses the style is to reflect one of the darkest moment in American history and black lives struggle. Also, these simple colors, such as white, black, and grey, create a solemn and quiet atmosphere and reflect King’s death. It is a way to commemorate him. I also like the way the museum quotes some powerful and important sentences from the speeches and show them on the wall. It attracts people to read and makes them think more about his speeches. However, I think the exhibition can be better at providing more photographs of his speeches. I would like to see more his writing styles and the powerful and famous sentences from his writings. Furthermore, I think the museum can show some cartoons and graphics people drew about King’s actions and works, so we can know how people think of him and have a more interesting and vivid impression of him. In order to remember and honor King, the museum can correct different perspectives from different groups of people based on gender, ethnicity, nationality, and social class in current society. Therefore,