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Tha Artivist Explains: The Meaning Behind ‘The Legacy’
video:
'The Legacy' By r2c2h2 tha artivist (washington university in st. louis class of 2002)
“What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world remains and is immortal.”
~Albert Pine
"Know that you are valued by not how much money you make, titles that are bestowed or what you own but rather by how many lives you have touched and enriched with your presence, passions and talents which are priceless on their own…One ♥!"
~r2c2h2
‘The Legacy’ represents the bond and mission shared by two men of honor, Dean James E. McLeod & Dr. John B. Ervin, in the vision that they had for empowering their people through education. St. Louis has been known as the gateway to greatness and opportunity for those willing to seek it and risk it all in their pursuit of happiness.
'The Legacy' Is Part Of A Rich Educational Tradition
St. Louis has a rich educational tradition in their African American community respectively. The first high school for Blacks west of the Mississippi was Sumner High School. When Missouri made it a crime to educate Blacks it was the unconventional genius of Rev. John Berry Meachum that found a loophole in the law by creating a school on a steam boat perched on the mighty Mississippi River outside the jurisdiction of state law. It was the crusading People’s attorney Homer G. Phillips who took on the powers that be to demand that city funds be used to create an adequate facility to provide healthcare for St. Louis’ Black community…His life blood and undying vision (he was assassinated in 1931) gave birth to an institution, Homer G. Phillips Hospital, that arguably at one point trained more Black doctors and nurses to serve the greater Black community than any place in America during those disturbing Jim Crow Days…This institution also helped give birth to the modern American Civil Rights Movement training at one point the dynamic and charismatic Dr. T.R.M. Howard, the successful entrepreneur and innovative Mississippi civil rights leader who took interest in alerting the world about the death of Emmett Till and who served as the mentor to both Medgar Evers and Fannie Lou Hamer…Wash. U. alum Henry Hampton Jr., was the man who brilliantly told the story of that movement through his award winning, powerful and groundbreaking ‘Eyes On The Prize’ series…His father served as chief surgeon and director of Homer G. Phillips Hospital for a number of years…Or let us not forget the unsung contribution of Vashon High School graduate Lloyd Gaines who sued the University of Missouri so that he could attend the University of Missouri School of Law…Although he disappeared without a trace at the height of his fight and thus never gained entry into the law school himself, his selflessness and sacrifice directly paved the way for what eventually became known as Brown v. Board and the desegregation of public funded schools…So when these two sons of Alabama paths crossed in the Gateway City, it was not by accident but by design…
About The Picture
The picture created by R2C2H2 Tha Artivist is meant to embody more the essence than the likeness of these two outstanding individual educational giants…Although both of these men were known as conservative dressers, their dreams and visions to add ‘color’ and ‘flavor’ to Washington University’s campus was anything but. This is represented by their loud or brightly colored suits which also represents the school colors of red, white and green…Paving a trail for others that followed, their collected efforts ensured that people of color will get proper and qualified representation in both academia and other arenas…The arch represents the gateway to opportunity that a real education provides with both Dean McLeod and Dr. John B. Ervin serving as the pillars or gateway keepers. The bird represents both the freedom of expression and the freedom to pursue both your happiness and purpose. The students represent the living legacies of our heroes, thus ‘The Legacy’: The graduating scholar and the student scholar studying…Each one teach one is the key to our educational philosophy and survival and we all should lend a helping hand to help our fellow travelers get to the ‘Promised Land’…Although the Ervin and McLeod Scholars programs are open to anyone who is qualified regardless of race, the Ervin Scholars Program was first started as an initiative to attract more African American scholars to Washington University…However, history has showed when African Americans are granted access and create opportunities for themselves then everyone in society benefits.
Dean McLeod was and is a great man because he was willing to serve and give others the best that he had while being used for a purpose greater than himself…True greatness can be selfless while success can be selfish…Both Dean McLeod and John B. Ervin died in the line of duty while selflessly serving others…They parlayed their successful empirical positions into eternal praise and goodwill…To me this proves that what these great men did was more than just a job or a profession, it was a calling that one fully committed to and in some occasions willingly sacrifice one’s life for…
On November 4, 2011, a framed print of this work of art was presented to Sis. Clara McLeod, the widow of Dean McLeod and one of the early supporters of the art career of Tha Artivist, at the closing reception of ‘Ronald Herd II: The Most Known UnKnown’ art exhibition @ The Nu-Art Series Metropolitan Art Gallery.
The Dean & Tha Artivist
Own 'The Legacy' Today!
Limited edition prints of this artwork are available for purchase @ $31 ($25 plus $6 shipping and handling)…Part of the proceeds will benefit the John B. Ervin Scholars & the McLeod Scholars programs respectively.
You Can Send Check Or Money Order To The Following:
Attn: Ronald Herd II
The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group
P.O. Box 752062
Memphis,TN 38175
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