Black in Crimson and Black
The subjects depicted (from left to right): Walter Miles, Charles Bell, Shirley Weber, Henrietta Goodwin, Amber St James, Joe Johnson and Harold Brown
Materials/Style: Acrylic on Wood Panel
SDSU is pleased to present a new mural created by alumni in honor of the history of Black scholars, faculty, students, and leadership at SDSU. This mural was designed and created by alumni Sabrina Davidson and Avia Ramm and supported by the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity in collaboration with the Institute for the Arts, Humanities, and Social Justice.
The Black in Crimson and Black is titled from the book of the same name authored by historian Robert Fikes Jr. This vital text details the successes of historical and contemporary faculty, staff, and alumni of San Diego State University since the beginning of the 20th century. The artists designed the iconography in the mural to pay homage to relevant terms important for the Black community, such as “a seat at the table” and “give them their flowers”.
Henrietta Goodwin, the first Black person to graduate from the university, is seated in the middle of the table. At that time, SDSU was still known as the San Diego Normal School, which was initiated to educate local women as elementary school teachers. This is also why Henrietta can be found without the crimson robe. Other design elements represented are the architecture of SDSU, local fauna in place for flowers, and the poetry of Maya Angelou as a call for resilience in the face of adversity. The womxn are in the center of the painting.
