Curatorial Statement

Dr. Agboola sits on the edge of his desk, looking right at the camera. He wears a suit with a light blue shirt, and blue and red striped tie. There is a gentle smile on his face.

Dr. Isaac O. Agboola
1956-2017

As one of the most popular exhibitions created by the National Deaf Life Museum, Andrew Jackson Foster: Missionary, Educator, and Advocate holds a special place in our history. Not only did it tell the story of one of the American Deaf community’s greatest heroes, the exhibition’s curation of Dr. Foster’s life was by his former student and dear friend. Dr. Isaac Agboola was the lead curator of this exhibition, and its vivid storytelling came from his close relationship with Dr. Andrew Foster. They met in 1971, when Dr. Agboola was a young student at the Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf in Nigeria; he later became Dr. Foster’s administrative assistant before coming to the U.S. to attend Gallaudet. While studying for his MBA, Dr. Agboola became the first Black Deaf professor at Gallaudet, which no doubt delighted his former teacher and mentor.

Although Dr. Foster passed away in a plane crash in 1987, he left a profound impact. Dr. Agboola told me "Even though I had worked closely with him, [by working on the exhibition] I have come to appreciate even more the true scope of his contributions to the education and empowerment of the deaf in Africa." He chose not to mention Africa in the exhibition title, though, because Dr. Foster’s vision was not limited to Africa, and his impact has been felt around the world.

It is important to note, though, that historic research is ongoing – as new information comes to light, our understanding of the past can change. While working on the exhibition script, Dr. Agboola and I were unaware of historical records showing that another student, Hume LePrince Battiste, Class of 1913, was Black. Battiste was admitted to Gallaudet as an "Indian," because the university had ceased accepting Black students in the wake of Plessy v Ferguson, and it was the only way he could enroll. Battiste maintained his adopted identity for the rest of his life. After the Foster exhibition opened in 2014, his
cousin, Maj. André Battiste reached out to me with evidence of his family’s Black heritage.

That Battiste graduated before Foster does not in any way diminish his achievements. Much like other Black students around the country in the 1950s, Foster faced discrimination and bullying during his college years, but persisted.

Dr. Andrew Foster created a new future for thousands of Deaf Africans who had not previously had access to formal education. As one of his early students, Seth Tetteh-Ocloo, noted: "There was no help for me until [Dr.] Foster came from the United States. After I met him I found some meaning to life." Another of his protégés, Alex Quaynor, said: "Foster inspired every beneficiary to aspire to excel in whatever field they chose to pursue."

We honor this inspiration and legacy in Andrew Jackson Foster: Missionary, Educator, and Advocate.

Meredith Peruzzi, Co-Curator, August 2020

For more on Hume LePrince Battiste, see Transforming the Narrative: Battiste, Foster, and the Status Quo by Meredith Peruzzi and Maj. André A. Battiste.

Please consider contributing to the Dr. Isaac O. Agboola, ’81 & G-’83 Memorial Fund to support Gallaudet students from Africa, or donating to the National Deaf Life Museum’s fund to support our ongoing work.

For more on Dr. Agboola's life, visit Gallaudet's In Memoriam page.