UMES celebrates founders week unveiling African art exhibit, honoring legacy of former hawk

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – It’s founder’s week at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and they’re celebrating former hawks who’ve made a lasting impact.

C. Payne Lucas Sr., who was an alumnus, passed away back in 2018. Although he’s no longer here, his life left a lasting mark on the university.

“When you have an alum such as Lucas who also has that global presence, that tells a story that’s real to students. They can come in and see the work for themselves and make connections,” said UMES President Dr. Heidi Anderson.

After a long wait, due to COVID-19 restrictions, that presence of Africa is now there for all to see in the UMES Fredrick Douglas Library.

The collection highlights the beauty and rich culture of African history. “His family contacted us to say that he had this wonderful exhibit of the work he’d been doing for many years. He traveled globally, especially to Africa,” said Dr. Anderson

“I was one of the first people to go through the boxes of the collection, which is vast. This is just a small portion of it,” said UMES Professor Dr. Arlisha Norwood.

Those connections are what university faculty say they hope students will make, with history now right at their disposal.

“We also just have an expansive reach. It brings to attention the African Diaspora and where we can go and what we can do at UMES and all other HBCUs” said Dr. Norwood.

“I feel like every African American person needs to have some taste of that because it is our culture and it’s bringing our history back to us,” said UMES Senior Michael Amo.

Ultimately, I’m told honoring the memory of this former Hawk will inspire future generations to come. “More importantly,  you get to see what being an alum of UMES means, what it means to do good work, and what it means to leave a legacy,” said Dr. Norwood.

“It’s going to diversify your mind, so come out. You always want to grow as a person, so come out while it’s here. It’s readily available so it’s really the best thing to do as a student,” said Amo.

To find out more about UMES Founders Week, head to www.umes.edu