The March

“The March” shows students walking in procession down the street. In Jamil’s word, “to show they were walking as one heartbeat, going about the task at hand”. The expressions on the students’ faces are an attempt to capture the emotions the students were feeling as they were marching.

Who Sent You?

“Who Sent You?” shows the silhouettes of the 720 students who participated in the walkout and sun rays of hope emanating from them. The colors in this mural are the same as the Pan-African flag, and the liberation colors of black folks in America—red for blood, black for skin color, and green for the African continent. The mural also centers on a student with an afro that is a collage of student photos from Adkin High, representing new horizons and pioneering students.

Carver

This panel shows the Carver Theater where the students met after the march; the student in the foreground is Mr. John Dudley and in the back are representative of the ad hoc committee members. The Carver Theater on Washington is longer standing but is an essential part of the story and memorialized in this panel.

Victory

“Victory” is a propaganda-style poster, similar to “Rosie the Riveter”. The old Adkin gymnasium is burning in the background, with a single microscope on one side and used books on the other to symbolize the limited resources the students were allocated by the School Board compared to white high schools. The colors are the Adkin High School colors – blue and gold.

Carolyn Coefield

This panel has a portrait of Carolyn Coefield, and signs with the colors and names of the City of Kinston and Adkin High School to represent the involvement of both the school system and the city at Adkin High School.

We the People

“We the People” symbolizes the students using their constitutional right to equal education under the 14^th amendment (though this wouldn’t be acknowledged by the Supreme Court until 1954).   A student silhouette steps down onto the Constitution with the school in the background. Above her is the signal that started the walkout –“Carolyn Coefield has lost her red pocketbook”. In the background are poppy flowers, which represent peace, remembrance and beauty.

Grace

“Grace” shows a student walking with a stack of books. On each book there’s a stamp that says ‘used’, representing how most of the educational materials at Adkin High School were used; in spite of that the students held their heads high and continued to learn like everyone else.

One Voice

“One Voice” represents how the actions of the Adkin High students are still felt by current generations. In the center, hands are clasping in unity, one generation helping the other along. On the left side is John Dudley, one of the students who planned the walkout, and on the left is Olivia Moore, a 16 year old student who organized a Black Lives matter protest in Winston-Salem, N.C. The color purple through the mural represents unity between the two generations. In Maximillian’s words, “The past makes way for the future”.