Sandra Bland exhibit opens at Houston Museum of African American Culture
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The exhibit is like a trip through time for Geneva Reed-Veal.
"You come out of this room and have a mix of happiness and sadness at the same time," Reed-Veal said.
Sandra Bland's story is being told from smiling pictures -- and days of her lives -- to the Waller County traffic stop just three days before her tragic death.
Sitting in a makeshift car watching the video of that traffic stop was the most difficult part of the exhibit for Sandra's mom.
"It felt like when that officer was walking, he was walking towards you," said Reed-Veal.
A long line of visitors walked Sandy's path on opening night at the Houston Museum of African American Culture.
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"The struggles that African American's face, whether light, brown, or black as it's called, our realities are sometimes different than our counterparts," visitor Erinn Miller said. "It doesn't matter if you're educated or not educated, from the city or the country. Sandra Bland was a classic case."
The artists who have turned her story into works of art say they learned so much about her on their journey.
Lee Carrier designed the center mural of Bland.
"I'm discovering we were very similar. She was a woman who took over 50 selfies, she had very healthy self-esteem, was in a sorority, educated, young had a future ahead of her," she said.
What Bland's mother feels when she sees this exhibit is unimaginable. She said everyone can learn something.
"People seeing this exhibit should say to themselves hold on, I'm going to think a little differently about the way I do things -- with my interactions with everyone but more so police officers," said Reed-Veal.
While Sandra isn't here, her mother said this shows how she is still speaking.
The exhibit runs through Feb. 28.
