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Sara Harris Photography
A mural depicting a scene from the storied life of Gloucester’s T.C. Walker, affectionately called “The Black Governor of Virginia.”
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Muralist Michael Rosato was selected to paint the historic mural that measures 22-feet by 74-feet.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on June 17, 2020, former President Donald Trump responded to critics calling his June 19 political rally date insensitive to Juneteenth by saying, “I did something good: I made Juneteenth very famous. It’s actually an important event, an important time. But nobody had ever heard of it.”
And that may be a hard point to debate. According to a Huffington Post follow-up poll, 71% of respondents said they had only just heard of Juneteenth as adults. This means if nothing else, we learned publicly that there’s a significant gap in knowledge of Black history within the American population.
In Gloucester, however, you’ll find Black history is on full display in the form of a 22-foot by 74-foot mural commissioned by The Cook Foundation. The artwork depicts scenes from the storied life of Gloucester’s T.C. Walker, affectionately called “The Black Governor of Virginia.”
“T.C. Walker, who was just an amazing human being, who was born a slave and pushed beyond any boundary or constraint anyone put on him, and [he] persevered and had such an impact not just here in Gloucester but really nationwide,” says Jenny Crittenden, executive director of The Cook Foundation, a nonprofit entity committed to enhancing the quality of life in Gloucester County primarily through the arts.
The Cook Foundation selected Maryland muralist Michael Rosato to immortalize the life of Gloucester County’s first African American attorney, educational advocate for Black children and champion of Black homeownership.
“I spent time researching muralists who had a talent for telling the African American story via mural. [Rosato’s] name kept popping up,” she says.
Rosato learned the story of T.C. Walker and listened to input from committee members assembled by The Cook Foundation.
In painting the historic mural, Rosato aimed to achieve four things. These are to ensure that: 1) it commands public attention; 2) it stirs up a feeling within; 3) it garners a response; and 4) it educates the viewer. Rosato believes that the scale to which the story is told makes the difference.
“Larger than life engages you differently than something that is your size,” he says. “When you drive by T.C. Walker, that’s a 20-foot human being pointing out at you. You have to engage in it. The scale alone wows you.”
Though he received many compliments while painting, he recalled one story of a white gentleman in his late 50s who told him the painting was tacky. Rosato used the moment to educate the critic on the life of T.C. Walker and what his legacy meant to all people.
“I told him I painted the American flag first because this is an American story. I told him the whole story, and when I finished, he looked at me and he said, ‘I’m sorry that I confronted you the way I did. It’s a great story,’ ” said Rosato.
“Had I got defensive, he would have run away, confirming the fact that he hated it for a reason. But instead, you educate. I think art that has a purpose and a social conscience can be very powerful in the way it’s told. And I think the artist needs to be responsible for telling that story.”
And that’s the plan for Gloucester: to trumpet its diverse heritage for the public to see and appreciate.
“Our murals downtown tell our unique story. The way that [The Cook Foundation] is doing it through art allows people to view, experience and immerse in a way that they wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity to do,” said Crittenden.
There’s a lot more to say about the like of Thomas Calhoun Walker, the man who couldn’t read or write until he was 13 but worked his way into and through what is now Hampton University. A man who studied law under former Confederate General William B. Taliaferro, who granted Walker access to law books from his private library which led to him circumventing the Virginia Bar by proving his superior command of the law to a judge. A man who served his country by appointment under two U.S. presidents—President William McKinley in 1896 and President Franklin Roosevelt in 1934. Yes, lots to say, and if you hadn’t heard of T.C. Walker before today, now you have.