The 2022 Black Impact BRG’s Homecoming at Moody’s Corporation
With “Homecoming” as its central theme for the 2022 BIG immersive and interactive event, Hampton Art Lovers will present a thematically curated Black art experience with an engaging panel discussion and an incisive exploration of homecoming’s powerful impact in Black diasporic culture. The visual art and the accompanying conversation will explore the importance of Black expressive culture and an examination of Black joy through African and African American art.
The theme of Homecoming engenders a wide range of cultural meanings in and for the African American experience. This year’s BIG event, curated by HAL, will explore this range through various art installations, presentations and interactive dialogues designed to excavate the multi-faceted meanings associated with the concept of Homecoming. We will explore the Black joy of the Homecoming experience at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) through art and conversation. HAL’s curated art installation will feature Black art that reflects Black joy and conveys the experience associated with homecoming themes.
An important touchstone for this event will be the presentation of Ernie Barnes’ classic painting, “Homecoming” (HAL will present a signed print of the original painting). Barnes’ “Homecoming” will serve as a visual capstone to the discourse and artistic exhibition. The painting depicts a homecoming parade from the perspective of a communal audience enjoying an historically Black marching band. The visual image is set in Durham, North Carolina where Ernie Barnes was born in 1938. Although he was an extremely talented athlete, Barnes’ educational opportunities were limited to HBCU’s as a result of legal segregation. He earned over two dozen student-athletic scholarships and chose to attend North Carolina College at Durham (now known as North Carolina Central University – NCCU) in 1956.
Durham, NC has its own history pertinent to the themes of homecoming and the Black experience in America. In addition to being the site of Barnes’ upbringing and the classic visual capturing this year’s programmatic theme, Durham North Carolina was historically considered a “Black Wall Street” anchored by the North Carolina Mutual Life Insurance Company, one of the most influential Black businesses in American history. Founded in 1898, North Carolina Mutual built its business on providing burial insurance for African Americans and positioned itself as an essential resource for “homegoing” services across the African American community. Throughout the 20th century, NCM was the largest business operated by African Americans.
Ernie Barnes is a significant figure for BIG’s Homecoming event. His visual art captures the quotidian experience of Black joy, and his legacy as an artist underscores some of the ways that Black art has been systematically undervalued. His most famous work, “Sugar Shack,” featured in the popular 1970s sitcom, “Good Times,” recently went to auction at Christie’s. Christie’s estimated the value of Barnes’ original painting of “Sugar Shack” (1976) at $200,000. The painting ultimately sold at auction for $15.3 million (76X Christie’s original estimate). HAL will be presenting a signed lithograph of “Sugar Shack” in the art installation for BIG’s Homecoming event.
Taken together, the themes of Black joy associated with Homecoming, the art of Ernie Barnes, the legacy of North Carolina Mutual and BIG’s collective vision for this event, will celebrate Black art and advance the knowledge and practice of racial equity within our organization and across our networks.
Art Talk
Li Sumpter
Li Sumpter, Ph.D. is a multidisciplinary artist and independent scholar who applies strategies of worldbuilding and mythic design toward building better, more resilient communities of the future. Li’s creative research and collaborative design initiatives engage the art of survival and sustainability through diverse ecologies and immersive stories of change.
Li is a cultural producer and eco-arts activist working through MythMedia Studios, the Escape Artist Initiative and various arts and community-based organizations in Philly and across the country. She holds an MA in Art and Humanities Education from NYU and a MA/Ph.D. in Mythological Studies and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Li has been a visiting professor at Haverford College and Moore College of Art and Design and has taught special topics for youth and adult courses at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Barnes Foundation and Fleisher Art Memorial. She has completed various Philly-based residences for arts and technology, arts and ecology and the literary arts and will begin her term as Afrofuturist-in-Residence with the Village of Arts and Humanities Fall 2022. Li is a recipient of the 2018 Sundance Institute and Knight Alumni grant, a 3-time recipient of the Leeway Art and Change Grant, a 2020 recipient of the Leeway Transformation Award, a 2022 recipient of the Velocity Fund and a 2022 nominee for the distinguished Pew Fellowship.
Christopher Norwood
Originally from Newark, New Jersey, Norwood attended the prestigious Newark Boy Chorus School, a world-renowned professional boy choir. He studied at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia where he received a bachelor’s degree in Social Work (1995). He pursued a Masters of Public Administration at Cornell University’s Institute for Public Affairs (1997) and a Juris Doctorate from St. Thomas University School of Law (2002). In 2003, Norwood established The Norwood Consulting Group to further his goal of Community Organization and Policy Advocacy. TNCG is a resource for public, private and non-profit institutions engaged in community building and development. Offering services to support public policy advocacy/analysis, program management, community advocacy and political consulting.
In 2017, Norwood founded Hampton Art Lovers with friends to accentuate the inspirational unifying and enriching aspects of African-American fine art in new and old settings. As passionate supporters of Hampton University's long-standing commitment to African-American art, and its Hampton University Museum Collection, Norwood serves on the editorial board of the International Review of African American Art (Published by the University since 1976) and past National Treasurer of the National Hampton Alumni Association.
Hampton Art Lovers operates and curates the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery in Historic Overtown. Built in 1925, the Historic Ward Rooming House opened its doors to both out-of-town African-American and Native Americans, who were typically unable to find welcoming accommodations in Downtown Miami during the first half of the 20th century. It has been transformed from a safehouse for African Americans and Indigenous people gathered during segregation to an immaculate gallery under the curatorial direction of Hampton Art Lovers. Featuring the elites of the Black Art world, hosting exhibitions that include works from Maya Angelou’s personal collection, sculptures and artwork of Elizabeth Catlett, Jacob Lawrence and Ernie Barnes. Historic Overtown and its Arts & Culture District has experienced a renaissance, of which the Historic Ward Rooming House Gallery is a centerpiece.
Norwood is committed to public service, he is a Founding Board Member of the Social Work Program at Florida Memorial University where he was inducted into the Phi Alpha National Honor Society for Social Work, Pi Theta Chapter. Norwood services as the Chairman of the the Audit and Budget Advisory Committee of Miami-Dade County Public Schools (4th largest school district in the country) and past Chairman of th City of Miami Education Advisory Board and Founder of the Florida Association of Independent Public Schools and the Governance Institute for School Accountability.
James Peterson - Moderator
James Peterson, Ph.D. is a Senior Talent Solutions Partner with DiverseForce. Dr. Peterson is a certified Racial Equity facilitator and has over a decade of experience in hiring and retention strategies in higher education. Peterson has a Ph.D. in English with a concentration in Black culture from the University of Pennsylvania. He has been consulting in the diversity, equity and inclusion space since 2004. Over the course of his career, he has worked with clients from a variety of organizations, including consumer product corporations, non-profit entities, educational institutions, and municipal organizations.
Dr. Peterson is the author of several books, including: The Hip Hop Underground and African American Culture, Prison Industrial Complex for Beginners and Hip-Hop Headphones: A Scholar’s Critical Playlist. He is a columnist for The Philadelphia Citizen, and has written for Fortune.com, Newsweek.com, The Guardian, The LA Times, Reuters, The Huffington Post, The Daily Beast and The Grio.
Peterson is also a professional wordsmith who has ghostwritten and edited projects for a variety of individuals and corporate entities across a wide spectrum of professions.
Exhibition Artists
Musa Hixson
Musa Hixson was born in Cleveland, Ohio but has mostly lived in Brooklyn, NY. He earned an MFA in Sculpture at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, New York in 1998 and a BA in Comprehensive Art from Hampton University, Hampton Virginia, in 1995. Most recently his public sculpture (Fairmount Nebula) was included in Newark’s Fairmount Art Wall project.
Hixson is a recipient of the 2017 UNIQLO Park Expressions Grant to produce the “Conversation Sculpture” for Herbert Von King Park in Brooklyn, NY. He was selected as artist-in-residence at Wave Hill, Winter Workspace, Bronx, New York in 2015, at The 3-D foundation, Verbier Switzerland in 2011, Obama City Art Residency, Obama Japan in 2010, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson Vermont in 2006, and Virginia Center for Creative Arts, Amherst, Virginia in 2005. In 2010 he was selected for the Aichi Triennale in Achi, Japan. Musa is also the founder of the Not for Profit Brooklyn Art Incubator.
Duhirwe Rushemeza
Through her hand-colored or linocut reductions, Duhirwe Rushemeza explores a history of displacement and dislocation through the narrative lens of a young girl living in a village in her native country of Rwanda. As a printmaker and painter, she blends figurative and abstract traditions from Rwanda, dating as far back as the 18th Century Imigongo cow dung paintings, to reflect a sense of non-belonging and the need to make meaning of home in this time of state-induced dispersal, wherever one lands.
The daughter of multiple Diasporas – colonization, genocide, and the American South – and thus, uses scaffolding as a way of unveiling these histories, and layering as means to get us closer to those in-between spaces of memory and myth, autobiography and allegory, disparate worlds, now partially bridged.
Growing up in various countries including Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Germany, the Rwandan-born multimedia artist’s work is deeply rooted in her nomadic personal experience. Her art makes reference to the places she has seen, visited and lived. Rushemeza's sculptural paintings use of mortar and cement reflects the omnipresent gray and concrete facades she witnessed in Germany's architecture before the fall of the Berlin Wall in the 80s, while the pictorial and geometric patterns are a quiet nod to the ancestral art of Imigongo, the aforementioned traditional Rwandan art form dating back centuries.
Duhirwe received masters degrees from both the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Duhirwe completed her undergraduate work at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Her artwork, ranging from linocuts, sculptured paintings, as well as installation/ performance work, has been shown and included in private and public collections throughout the U.S, Africa, and Europe.
Phillip Shung
Phillip Shung highlights the beauty in everyday life through his portraiture and street photography. Whether in his hometown of Bed Stuy, Brooklyn, or traveling abroad, Shung brings into focus the nuances of the African Diaspora wherever they are. His approach is interdisciplinary — blending the best practices in photography, art, creative direction, and interactive design.
Shung found his passion for photography, working as an art director with world-renowned photographers for the past 20 years. He has since honed his style of portraiture through his world travel and interest in capturing and connecting with real people across the globe.
“One way to describe my photography is intimate,” says Shung. “I aspire to highlight the humanity in my subjects.” When Shung travels, he is in search of local dwellings to provide an intimate perspective of life in many different corners of the world. "Having visited 40 or so countries, I am often surprised by the similarities in these diverse cultures. Despite the just as many differences, we truly are one people."
Since 2011, Phillip Shung has been a partner at Pixod Design Studio as well as a founding member of The Bklyn Combine, a non-profit community organization dedicated to mentorship and providing critical education, leadership, and social support to youth and young adults in low-income and underserved communities.
Diana Carla Rowe
Diana Carla Rowe is a Queer Black Artist. Born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised in Austin, Texas Rowe’s parent’s migration from Jamaica to New York City inspired her move to Brooklyn, New York.
She currently works and develops paintings and illustration projects in her Bushwick studio. She has created installations and illustrations for Neiman Marcus, Revolt, and Early Majority. Her work can be described as surrealist automatism as well as mixed media abstractions.There is a repetitive nature that carries through her work representing the passing faces and emotions of those around her. Her work scales from 30 in x 30 in to 8ft x 4 ft .
F. William Samuel
As a former athlete, he comes to the stage strong, bringing 300 lbs. of twisted steel and comedic prowess with advice on topics ranging from relationships, to church to fitness. Amongst his many accomplishments you should know he completed his first marathon on December 11, 2016. The race started on December 10!
With very limited film credits, unless you count YouTube and his mother’s beta max movies, F. William Samuel is here to entertain you tonight. He is available for Kwanzaa Parties, Quinceaneras, Bar Mitzvahs, Spades Tournaments, Car Washes and Rodeos!
F. William Samuel is an established author and serial entrepreneur, hailing from East Orange, NJ., dedicated to living his best life, making bold moves and winning all the time! He is the host and producer of the long-running Comedy Show, Chocolate Thursdays with F. William Samuel and Friends, every first Thursday of the Month.
MOODY’S BLACK IMPACT BRG PRESENTS:A Moody’s Homecoming Event
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Mission Statement
At Moody’s, we believe that a diverse workforce representing an array of backgrounds and experiences contribute to the quality of our opinions, products, and services. We support independent thought and promote a work environment that values and maximizes the contributions of all employees.
Moody’s is committed to attracting and retaining diverse talent globally. We seek to build a high-performing organization and create an inclusive culture where all employees can thrive and where everyone’s opinion matters. Moody’s is proud to sponsor Business Resource Groups (BRGs), which are valuable business groups that help position Moody’s as an employer of choice for all.
Moody’s Black Impact BRG seeks to support the recruitment, retention, empowerment and advancement of Black employees as well as to promote and foster allyship to maintain a diverse, inclusive and collaborative culture at Moody’s.
Moody’s Black Impact BRG Team Members
Alyssa Martin • Rachel Tucker • Kimberly Lyons • Vanessa Youngs • Tiphany Lee-Allen • Gregory Robinson • Twaun Samuel • Brandon Chiwaya • Tricia Smith • Sabrina Goicoechea • Lisa Heller • Marquise Satterwhite • Dexter East • Austin Easterling • Cat Tucker • Varinia Munoz • Juan Kimble • Chanel Lewis • Christopher Williams • Denise Parham • Gail Branson • Fola Eleyinmi • Michele Brown • Jon Adrien • Jamalia Taylor
Exhibition Works
Featured Film
This snippet of the episodic documentary, Homecoming Ready, demonstrates the joy and anticipation of Homecoming and the love for the people and the institution. The concept on Homecoming resonates over generations from alumni making their return to current students learning the meaning it all. It’s Game Day… Ya’ll Ready?
Filmmaker F. William Samuel, visually documents the preparation and contemplation of Hampton University Homecomings.