By Jonathan Copsey / STAFF

“Would America have been America without her negro people?”

Those words were written by the famous black American civil-rights activist and thinker W.E.B. Du Bois and hit home the idea behind “America I Am,” an exhibit currently at the Atlanta Civic Center.

“America I Am” aims to tell the story of black America and how the African-American community has shaped the country and has, in turn, been shaped by the dominant white culture. Beginning with the creation of the “triangular trade” that enriched Europe and the Americas with the trade in slaves that resulted in millions of native Africans coming to the New World, “America I Am” takes an in-depth look at major events in U.S. history and how they affected the Africans who resided in America.

With 15 galleries and over 15,000 square feet of exhibit space, this is no small show; it displays hundreds of artifacts from the mid-18th century to today, including several pieces that historians would crave to see – from letters signed by President Lincoln to a prominent freed slave; original whips and chains used on slaves by their masters; and costumes worn by Ray Charles and Michael Jordon.

Much is made in the opening rooms of the founding fathers of the country and their proclamations declaring all men equal and free from tyranny – but this does not apply to the numerous slaves who toiled the fields and made the lives of the founding fathers relaxing. Several displays point out that many of the writers of the founding documents of the country – Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, etc – held large plantations staffed by small armies of slaves. The president of the Continental Congress, Henry Laurens of South Carolina, held six plantations and thousands of slaves. The ideals of the revolution were not meant to apply to slaves.

Mock ups of a fortress on the African coast where slaves were stored to await transportation to their future homes, a church, and an 18th century plantation invite the viewer in to experience the exhibits in a personal way, walking past a figure in a Ku Klux Klan hood or hearing the screams of abused slaves, which only serves to further the horrors that the black community has gone through in the past 200 years.

But it’s not all about how downtrodden African-Americans should be; instead, there is a significant focus on how the culture has contributed to the arts, to politics and to society from the moment they stepped off the slave ship through to Martin Luther King’s dream and when Barack Obama took his oath of office.

It’s a long journey from where African-Americans began to where they have ended up, becoming prominent figures in sports, music, art, politics and education. Just about every aspect of society now bears the mark of at least one African-American.

Because they are America.