Septima Clark

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Septima Clark was a civil rights activist and educator born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. The memorial being analyzed in this essay is the College of Charleston’s dedication mural to Septima Clark and the quote chosen to represent her. This mural, located in the Thaddeus Street Jr. Education Center, is a testament to her work and efforts as an activist fighting to change the narrative of her time. The mural itself was a response to a need for recognition of her highly significant contributions to the College of Charleston community and the Charleston community overall. The location of the mural speaks a lot to Clark’s role as an educator, using this skill to bypass boundaries. The mural is placed right next to the auditorium in …show more content…
The mural itself presents a fitting response to the rhetorical situation. It fills a need for more representation of strong African American women who helped change history. However, beautiful and a great way to commemorate someone, there is an obvious absence. The absence of contextual information about Septima Clark is needed to truly relay how powerful the quote displayed is. In the quote “I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth”. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than affirm” is a wonderful testimony to how much education meant to Clark, and how much she wanted to change the future, the lack of information cuts through the analysis of the quote to viewers who are unaware of who Clark is and what she dedicated her life towards. For instance, if all viewers were aware that this quote is an excerpt from a speech delivered by Clark at Antioch College titled “The Challenge to Black and White”, it would be almost immediately apparent that this has to do with civil
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