Fields, Denise White
President and Curator of “From Africa to Eternity, Inc.” is a native of Oberlin, Ohio (historically recognized as a stopping station for the Underground Railroad). Presently, Ms. Fields is a resident of Brunswick, Georgia. Ms. Fields has attended the following educational institutions:
Bluffton College…………………………Bachelor of Arts Psychology
Bluffton, OH…………………………….Bachelor of Arts Social Work
Gordon Conwell Seminary……………..30 Hours Graduate Counseling South Hamilton, MA
SalemStateCollege…………………....Master of Education Salem, MA
EastCarolina University……………..Bachelor of Science Social Work Greenville, NC School Social Work Certification
Many honors have been bestowed upon Ms. Fields and the Museum. In 1987, Ms. Fields received national acclaim as an “Outstanding Young Woman of America” for contributions related to her traveling museum.
In 1993, Ms. Fields was nominated for the National Black Collectors Hall of Fame. In the same year, Ms. Fields was elected to the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees for the Wayne County Museum in Goldsboro, NC. In 2001, the National Park Service evaluated “From Africa to Eternity, Inc.” as making a significant contribution to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American history and having met the requirements for inclusion in the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom; becoming the first exhibit internationally to be accepted.
“From Africa to Eternity, Inc.” a 501-C-3 Corporation, houses authentic artifacts and documents. The exhibit chronicles the African American experience in overcoming seemingly insurmountable challenges. Ms. Fields believes “the Lord has called her to this intriguing task”. The ultimate goal of the exhibit is multicultural inclusion and the promotion of racial harmony. Ms. Fields looks forward to the Lord providing several permanent national sites for her museum to enhance the current traveling component.
From pre-enslavement to current times, interpretation via authentic artifacts brings to life the following themes:
| Africa the Beginning | Identifying and Dispelling Myths & Stereotypes |
| African Diaspora | Military Service |
| The Trans Atlantic Link | Sports |
| African/American Enslavement | Entertainment |
| Gulla/Geechee and African Survivals | The Harlem Renaissance |
| The Black Church | African Americans in the 20th Century |
| Abolitions and the Underground Railroad Era | Martin Luther King/The Civil Rights Movement |
| Reconstruction | African/African American Food Ways & Health Issues |
| Jim Crow | African Americans Entering the New Millennium |
| Trailblazers and Achievers including Educators, Inventors, Scientists, Authors, etc. | |
For over twenty years, Ms. Fields has worked in the areas of Education and Social Services. She has included her traveling museum in the work place as an educational and healing tool throughout the United States. Ms. Fields has assisted with the development of multicultural curriculums and personally established and facilitated multicultural self-esteem groups that incorporate her exhibition. Additionally, she has developed and taught Black History courses in public schools, colleges and churches. As a community activist, Ms. Fields utilizes her museum as a tool for historic preservation and cultural retention.
Ms. Fields continues to stress that African-American history is an integral part of American history and exhibits throughout the year at numerous venues including: Museums, Art Galleries, Mental Health Facilities, Prisons, Colleges, Public and Private School Systems, Elderhostel, Churches, Sororities and Fraternities, Concerts, Heritage Festivals, Theatre Productions, Kwanza and Black History Month Celebrations.
Examples of previous venues include:
| The Beech Institute Museum (Savannah, GA) | Interfaith Pilgrimage of the Middle Passage (Midway, GA) |
| Birmingham Southern University (AL) | Lackland Air Force Base (TX) |
| Black Hebrew Event (Charleston, SC) | Morehouse College (Atlanta, GA) |
| Culture Days (Sapelo Island, GA) | Northern Kentucky University (KY) |
| Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta, GA) | Penn Center Heritage Days (SC) |
| Emory University (Atlanta, GA) | Road to Tara Museum (Jonesboro, GA) |
| Georgia Sea Islands Festival (St. Simons Island, GA) | Savannah Civic Theatre (Ray Charles Concert-GA) |
| Georgia Tech University (Atlanta, GA) | Seymour Johnson Federal Prison & Officer Club (NC) |
| Inaugural Conference Friends of the National Park Service Underground Railroad Network to Freedom (KY) | Spelman College (Atlanta, GA) |
| Coastal Georgia Community College (Brunswick, GA) | Geechee Kunda Museum (Riceboro, GA) |
Examples of Autographs include:
| Hank Aaron | Coretta Scott King |
| Ralph Abernathy | Butterfly McQueen (“Prissy” –Gone With the Wind) |
| Christopher Broughton (Award Winning Magician) | Out of Eden (Gospel Group) |
| Les Brown | Dr. John Hope Franklin |
| Ray Charles | Sidney Portier |
| Burnette Clingman (Motivational Speaker) | Collin Powell |
| Bill Cosby | Collins R. Spencer III (CNN) |
| Joe Frazier | Jimmy Walker – (J.J. – Good Times) |
| Tom Joyner | Booker T. Washington |
| Descendants of Harriet Tubman: Pauline Copes-Johnson (grandniece) Paulette Johnson (great grandniece |
Descendant of Dred Scott: Lynne M. Jackson (great granddaughter) |
Examples of Artifacts/Information:
| Artifacts excavated from slave quarters (Richmond Hill, GA) | Personalized Lena Horne Autograph |
| Civil War Cartridge Bag | Postcards 1800’s – Present |
| African American Postal Stamps and Memorabilia | Ralph Abernathy Autograph |
| Autobiographies – 1st Edition John Brown, Frederick Douglas, Josiah Henson |
Record Collection 1920’s – 1990’s (Opera, Jazz, Blues, Rock & Roll, Disco, Country, Gospel) |
| Banks – Still and Mechanical 1800-s – 1950’s | Ray Charles Autograph |
| Charleston Slave Badge – 1842 | Rice Hoe-made by enslaved African American |
| “Colored Only” Signs – 1930’s | Salt and Pepper Shakers – 1920’s – 1950’s |
| Congressional Amistad Document Mentioning “Cinque” – 1841 | Sheet Music Collection 1800’s – 1960’s |
| Enslavement Documents (i.e., 16 year old girl “Eliza” given as a wedding gift | Sports Memorabilia (Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Muhammed Ali, Olympic Stars, Arthur Ashe, Tiger Woods, Lelah Ali, Negro League |
| Gullah Cotton Basket from an Alabama Plantation 1800’s (original cotton balls) | “Slave Bells” – Used to summon enslaved African Americans – 1800’s |
| Harper’s Weekly (i.e., Ft. Pillow Massacre – April 1864) | Coretta Scott King Autograph |
| Jack Johnson Poster – 1918 | Slave Jug made by enslaved African Edgefied S.C. 1800’s |
| Kwanzaa Symbols and Principles | Subjugation Artifacts including adult and child shackles – 1700’s – 1800’s |
| Martin Luther King, Jr., Coretta Scott King, Daddy King, and Mama King Obituaries | “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Harriet Beecher Stowe – 1st edition two volume set |
| Millie-Christine (enslaved Siamese twins) Original Photograph | World War I Battalion of Black Engineers Photograph – 1918 |
| Minted U.S. Currency (i.e. Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington coins) | Butterfly McQueen Autograph (“Prissy” Gone with the Wind) |
| Stereotypes i.e., Aunt Jemima, etc. (books, games, toys, dolls, salt & pepper shakers) | Portuguese made Trade Beads (to purchase Africans 1800’s) |
| Manillas – used to trade for African’s on “slave” ships | “Slave Coins” from St. Simons Island, GA |
| African Americans as Victims of Medical Experimentation | Sarah Baartman “The Hottentot Venus” |
| The Legendary Tuskegee Airmen | Gullah Spirit Jug |
