The Resiliency Factor

Years ago, there existed a population of African American residents who worked primarily in agriculture, harvesting pineapples, citrus fruit and vegetables in Palm Beach County’s south county area. In 1940 the residents were given notice by the U.S. Government to vacate the land, so the U.S. Army could establish an airfield. The area was then known as Yamato Colony, today it is known as Yamato Road .

Twenty nine families were relocated to Delray Beach , where they started over and formed new communities. The new found community called “New Town” was settled by the African American immigrants. There they established schools and churches and businesses. Delray’s history documents its first school as being that of the African American Community.

The artistic elements of “Resiliency Factor” deal with the ‘resiliency of the human spirit”. The image is a tribute to those past African Americans settlers of Delray Beach who endured the changes of displacement and relocation during war times, and shows the human spirits ability to “bounce back” successfully in spite of life’s challenges and adversity, as represented by the stainless steel coil springs.

“Resiliency Factor” expresses an abstract reference to the 29 families in the image of the human form that represents the human DNA. DNA presents an indelible historical foot print of an individual‘s past, present and future. It serves as a reminder of where we came from, lest we forget, and as a stabilizer of who we are now, and a motivator of where we can go as a race. The fern like imprint is that of the Adinkra symbol AYA, used in the Ashanti culture in Africa to represent endurance, perseverance and resourcefulness.

African American history is replete with stories of endurance and perseverance despite adversities, from the experience of the slaves in the Underground Railroad, the Buffalo Soldiers’ “fighting spirit”, all the way to the African American community of Delray Beach . The legacy of “bouncing back” and remembering the past that impacts the present, will forever be an abiding “force” that keeps the “human spirit” alive forever.