Heidy and Cybelle-Artistic Statement-Michael's Office

In our quilt piece we are demonstrating education rights free slaves were given after the Civil War. The Freedman built schools for former slaves, young and old, to go to school at. As you can see in our quilt piece there is a scene of a classroom where many African American children are getting educated.  Going through our piece are scissors. These represent when southern democrats regained control of the states and cut spending for their education. The money signs on the scissors show that the few schools they kept, charged people to attend. When the Freedmen built the school, it showed the nation being pulled together. They were finally allowing free slaves to get an education. When they cut funding for the schools, the nation was being torn apart because it showed that providing education for African Americans was not a top priority.