Black Emergency Cultural Coalition

Black Emergency Cultural Coalition Inc. (BECC) was organized in January 1969 by a group of African American artists in response to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's "Harlem on My Mind" exhibit, which omitted the contributions of African American painters and sculptors to the Harlem community. Members of this initial group that protested against the exhibit included several prominent African American artists, including Benny Andrews and Clifford R. Joseph, cofounders of the BECC. The primary goal of the group was to agitate for change in the major art museums in New York City for greater representation of African American artists and their work in these museums, and that an African American curatorial presence would be established.

In 1971 the work of the coalition grew to include the creation of an Arts Exchange program in correctional facilities. This program arose in response to major riots at the Attica correctional facility in New York. The BECC was incorporated in 1972 as a non-profit organization. The initial directors of this newly incorporated organization were Clifford R. Joseph, Benny Andrews, Camille Billops, Vivian Browne and Russell Thompson. The BECC sponsored arts programs in juvenile detention centers and mental health facilities throughout the United States.

...