The Department of Art in the College of Liberal Arts recently dedicated an exhibit in honor of the late Maceo C. Dailey Jr., who was director of the African American Studies Program. The Juneteeth and Loving Day Poster Exhibition is located at the Glass Gallery in the Fox Fine Arts Center on the third floor, where displayed are photos of what it is like to be in America today. One photo describes how we all are the same on the inside by showing different colors of half-eaten M & M candies, with the caption “inside were all the same.” A similar photo shows four blue M & Ms together forming a square and another yellow M & M standing alone, with the title “Exclusion Hurts.”
Dailey passed away in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, on Oct. 11, 2015. Nearly 20 years ago, Dailey became the first director of the African American Studies Program at UTEP. A scholar and devoted teacher, Dr. Dailey was also an esteemed community leader in El Paso and beyond. Dailey received his Ph.D. from Howard University. He taught at Smith College, Howard University and many universities around the country in the United States. Dailey’s skillful diplomacy helped resolve conflicts and restore unity. He had a respect for others and a belief in the importance of teamwork, diligence and maintaining focus on a basic objective. With his enduring commitment to those values, Dailey’s presence on any team was a game-changer.
The Juneteeth and Loving Day Exhibition displays how Americans today have been divided by the color of each other’s skin as well as social class. Dr. Dailey would have loved to see unity amongst everyone because he believed that many ideas are better than one for any situation. The exhibit is breathtaking without many words because the photos represent the thoughts of what each artist wanted to say to the audience.
With many individuals having hate in their hearts, this display most assuredly comes from the thoughts of Dr. Maceo Crenshaw Dailey. He told many of his students, “don’t pay it back, but pay it forward.”
