Kwadwo Adae at work on the Bouchet mural.
As you drive through New Haven on Henry Street, you will notice something at the intersection of Dixwell: Across from a derelict lot is a magnificent mural in progress on a wall that was once pink.
The image consists of cascaded portraits of a Black man rendered in gradients of color. The man is Edward Bouchet, a New Havener who was the first Black man to get a doctorate in the United States. Bouchet got his Ph.D. in physics from Yale in 1876. Yet, most children in the Elm City don’t know about him.
Muralist Kwadwo Adae hopes to change that one brushstroke at a time.
Adae, an NYU-trained artist, created his first mural in New Haven in 2000. He is of the tradition of Diego Rivera of bringing the beauty of everyday things to people’s attention.
Murals have some tradition in New Haven also. The three judges are portrayed on the wall of the Westville post office, for instance. The mural of Bouchet speaks to a hidden history, which Adae hopes to bring to light.
“There is no reason why this [mural] shouldn’t already exist,” said Adae. “There should already be a mural and a statue.”
It is only recently that William Lanson was immortalized in metal. The making of a mural of Bouchet is part of an effort to reset who New Haven honors.
In the past, the city has made efforts to recognize those who have lived here with a banner campaign in the Chapel West area, but there has been a paucity in diversity in those selections. To counter this oversight, a local effort installed banners marking people of color at the intersection of Dixwell and Argyle, consisting of four Black New Haveners displayed in black and white.
Adae displays Bouchet in many colors, and there is a reasoning behind this. Bouchet’s dissertation was entitled “On Measuring Refractive Indices,” which is about how light bends in materials, like how a straw looks broken in a glass of water. But light is also the reason why we see color. “If he is measuring wavelengths of light, that is the differences of color,” said Adae. “That is something that should be added to his legacy.”
Adae draws another parallel between Bouchet’s life and light. “Bouchet was discriminated against because of the color of his skin,” said Adae, “what he faced was a color issue.” Bouchet never was able to work as a physicist. He had to teach at a segregated school (now called Cheyney University) in Pennsylvania before he returned to New Haven.
The making of this mural of Bouchet is a family affair. Adae’s son Kwasi is also working on the mural and has been painting with his father since he was a young boy.
“I used to drive by this corner on my way to school,” said Kwasi. “I hope that the stuff we do inspires people.” Others have attempted to bring the life and work of Bouchet to the public’s attention as well.
Professor Ronald Mickens of Clark Atlanta University in Georgia, wrote a book about Bouchet based on his four decades of research. Also, emeritus Professor Curtis Patton, of Yale’s school of epidemiology, has long championed this unsung pioneer with his essays and presentations. At Hopkins and Yale, there are portraits of Bouchet, because he was the valedictorian at Hopkins before entering Yale. “If you are not affiliated with either of these schools,” said Adae, “you don’t have access to those spaces.
Bouchet was born, educated, and died in New Haven. The work of Adae is part of a long steady effort to raise the profile of this great man within the city that was once his home.
Bouchet should have other honors, such as a day commemorating him on his birthday (Sept. 15), a street plaque, and most certainly an entry in history books. He represents the greatness of the Elm City. This is why the effort of Adae to pull our attention away from our steering wheels and highlight the life and work of Bouchet is so important. It changes the conversation of who does science and since when. Let us hope that this mural, which sprouted in an often-overlooked part of the city, blossoms into something much, much more.
Ainissa Ramirez is a materials scientist and the author of “The Alchemy of Us” (The MIT Press).