Title: Emancipation Oak

This tree stands on what is now the Hampton University campus. It is a whopping 98 feet in diameter! National Geographic has designated it one of the 10 Great Trees of the World. A wonderful part of our country’s history is connected with this ancient tree. Mary Smith Peake taught slaves and former slaves to read and write beneath its shade, when that was against the law to do. The first Southern reading of President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation was beneath its branches.

When I saw a magazine picture of this tree in full leaf, silhouetted against a bright yellow sky, I knew I had to do my own interpretation of it. As it developed on canvas, it became apparent to me that the leaves were unnecessary. This image is of the “bones” of this mighty tree, representing its power; longevity; its perseverance; and its unshakable, rooted stance for freedom.

In Isaiah 61, a chapter of the Bible which Jesus read in the temple and said pertained to His coming, it says, “[His people] will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of His splendor…Their descendents will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the LORD has blessed.” May we Americans of every shade learn from one another, teach one another, and grow together into oaks of righteousness that bring glory to our God.

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