The Cultivators

Samuel Dunson depicts three African Americans harvesting books from the soil of the earth. A woman wipes the dirt off a volume while a young man behind her holds a copy of The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran. While the male has cultivated a bag full of books, his dress suggests that this work is not menial labor. These individuals are cultivating knowledge. Bernard, Shirley and their son Khalil are the subjects in Samuel Dunson’s portrait.