Work and Play

Objects and photos from work and play come together to paint a full picture of life for African Americans in the Ozarks. People worked their own land, but they also worked factory jobs, and some even landed esteemed jobs as Pullman Porters.

Looking only at work, however, leaves out the parts of life that make it worth living. Family get-togethers with crowds of relatives and games played with just one or two children mix with Sundays at church, singing from well-worn hymnals, and become full lives that reflect the complexity of being African Americans.