U. student curates museum exhibit to highlight history behind headwear in Black church

Kyra March, a Ph.D. student in the Department of History, was recently recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation for her efforts in curating "The Head that Wears the Crown" exhibit at the Stoutsburg Sourland African American Museum (SSAAM) in Montgomery, New Jersey, according to a press release.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation provides funding to support the preservation of historic spaces nationwide, and provided the SSAAM with a Preserving Black Churches grant to fund the exhibit, March said. The newly acquired grant then set in motion approximately five months of preparation prior to the exhibit's debut. March said that her connection with the Black church traces back to her childhood.

"I grew up in the Black church and constantly saw elder women in the congregations wearing church hats," she said. "Whether it was on a regular Sunday morning or to funerals, Black women wore hats of various sizes, colors, patterns and styles."

Following an internship with the museum through the Rutgers Public Humanities Initiative, she said she was asked to return as a consultant and was tasked with exploring the history behind a collection of 24 church hats, all of which were donated by members of the Second Calvary Baptist Church and featured in the exhibit.

"We knew what would be the focus, but it was my job to uncover what that story would be," March said.

She said that while Donnetta Johnson, the museum's former executive director, initially drew her to look into the history behind African American fashion, March's personal interest in the practices that manifested during the Civil War led the project into a more abstract direction.

"I remembered a journal from the period commenting on how Black women would wear grand turbans to church services," she said. "This connection is what inspired me to expand the idea of the exhibit from wanting to understand church hats solely to wanting to understand how Black women expressed their spirituality, freedom and creativity through headwear more broadly across time."

Ultimately, March said she chose hats that were not only visually appealing for visitors to peruse through but also integral in telling the story of Black women, their historic resilience and the dedication they have to their faith.

Throughout the exhibit, there are infographics, including "When self-expression was a crime," "Demonstrating pride" and "Sunday best" that illustrate this story with images of prominent Black women and details about how they defied repressive measures regarding their headwear while enslaved.

In fact, March said the title of the exhibit is a rendition of "heavy is the head that wears the crown," a commonly misquoted line from William Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 2."

"To me, Black women's position as the culture bearers and the hands and feet of the Black church that keep it running and alive is a heavy load to carry," she said. "Black women continue to not only show up but show out through their fashion."

While church hats are just one of the many elements that define the Black church, March said the exhibit has resonated deeply with the Black women who have visited it since its opening in September.

She said the majority of the women at its launch were from across the state who frequented the exhibit during day trips, though there were even some visitors that she met who had traveled from as far as Virginia to view the exhibit.

"People have worn their hats to the exhibit and have expressed to me how special it is to feel closer to their history and a tradition they participate in," March said.

Overall, she said the experience of curating the exhibit has given her the opportunity to educate people about church hats and empower those who already practice wearing the garment themselves.

"I want people to leave understanding the power of Black women's headwear to their personal and spiritual lives, understand the pushback they received and learn more about the tradition of headwear and hopefully … pass the knowledge on to others around them so that it doesn't die out," March said.