This Black History Month, we had an opportunity to experience Rodney Hawkins’ family’s ancestral discovery through the immersive art exhibit, “The Mount Experience.” It is currently stationed inside of the “AT&T Showcase” in the AT&T Discovery District and brings history that is simultaneously Black history, American history, and Texas history to life through sensory experiences utilizing  photography, audio recordings, visual installations, and augmented reality.

Having traced their family history in East Texas back to documented evidence of an ancestor who was enslaved in 1841, Hawkins says, “We were here before Texas was considered a state… If anyone can say that they’re Texan, it’s me.” Having a documented record of familial roots that predates Texas statehood is not the only unique aspect of their family history. This same ancestor was freed in 1865, and in 1867 he purchased over 500 acres of land. Today, the family still has nearly 100 acres of land in Nacogdoches, Texas, and bordering this family-owned land was an overgrown family cemetery dating back about 200 years.    

It was the opportunity to learn details of his family history when he interviewed his then 106-year old great-grandmother, Elise Powell Hurd, shortly before she passed away, that sparked Hawkins’ increased desire to learn more about their family history from other relatives. In his efforts to gather more family history, he learned about the all but forgotten family cemetery that was at risk of being taken over by the woods. Hawkins and a few family members made their way through the woods, a not so easy feat, to get to the family cemetery. Upon reaching it, he was both excited by the discovery but saddened by the level of disarray of the cemetery. As part of the younger generation, Hawkins was challenged by his older cousins to take the mantle and lead the restoration of the cemetery, honoring their family legacy.

Hawkins took on this challenge, but not alone. He put a call out to family members now dispersed throughout the country. Hawkins recalls not getting any “no’s,” but rather, “Just tell me when, and I’ll be there,” even in light of this taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Family members representing at least 4 generations came from as far as Seattle, Tacoma, L.A., Atlanta, and New York. 

With the help of Dr. Perky Beisel, a history professor at Stephen F. Austin State University, and students of Stephen F. Austin State University, Hawkins and his family were able to restore their family cemetery, the Old Mount Gillion Cemetery; which has now been designated as a historical site by the Texas Historical Commission. Portrait photographer, Kwesi Yanful captured the restoration in photos. Initially expecting to hold the photos for the family, Hawkins soon realized more had to be done with them. After meeting Daisha Board, Founder & Curator of the Daisha Board Gallery, Hawkins approached Board about exhibiting the photo collection with audio features to share the family’s journey in the restoration of the cemetery. Last year, “The Mount: A Photo Collection on Restoring America’s Buried Past,” was featured at the Daisha Board Gallery. 

Hawkins went on to reach out to AT&T about partnering on ways to further showcase this journey of ancestral discovery. In collaboration with AT&T and Samsung, Hawkins’ production company, Tiny Hawk Productions, has produced “The Mount Experience Immersive Art Exhibit.”  Serving as this season’s AT&T Showcase, the exhibit will be in the AT&T Discovery District until February 21st. The full-sensory experience includes a 9 ft. iron tunnel with real moss to replicate the family’s journey through the piney woods of East Texas, video footage of Hawkins’ interview with his great-grandmother, a recreation of her living room, and a family tree that comes alive on your phone through the use of augmented reality. 

February 16th – 19th “The Mount Black Art Pop-Up” will showcase additional artists who were inspired by “The Mount Experience” to showcase their own legacy. The Girl Scouts of North Texas will have a day for girl scouts and their families to visit the exhibit and receive their Family Roots Patch. It’s only right that there will also be an HBCU night, scheduled to take place on February 18th, given Hawkins is a Howard University alum and there were at least half a dozen HBCU alums involved with the project. There will also be a virtual panel, “Connecting Your Roots to Find Your Voice,” moderated by Equity Expert, Arthur Woods. Panelists will include Hawkins, Marc Morial (President of the National Urban League), Michelle Robinson (Chief Diversity Officer at AT&T), and Mary Elliot (Museum Specialist at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture). They will be discussing the holistic benefits of connecting with your roots from a corporate, professional, and personal level.

Hawkins’ family has a unique and special family legacy. Don’t shy away from any inspiration you have from their story to embark on your own ancestral discovery journey. Hawkins noted that there are various resources, funding, and efforts to assist families on such a journey, including state laws to protect and restore burial sites, federal legislation to build registries of Black American burial grounds, and public universities with archival records for Texas counties. A great starting point may be the Texas Historical Commission website. If afforded an opportunity to learn more about your own family history, keep this reminder from Hawkins in mind, “We all think about Black History Month… as a month that we celebrate all of our leaders and our heroes…but we have leaders and heroes in our own families.”