NAACP Statement in Support of Efforts by the Williams Family to Reclaim Artwork by Their Ancestor, Widely-Recognized American Ceramicist David Drake

For Immediate Release 

Sep 9, 2026

Contact: NAACP | communications@naacpnet.org
The Williams Family | drakefamily@ssmandl.com

LOS ANGELES - The NAACP released the following statement in support of the Williams Family, the direct descendants of David Drake, renowned ceramicist and formerly enslaved American: 

The NAACP, through its Visual Arts Initiative, is proud to support the family of enslaved ceramist David Drake in their historic effort to reclaim the legacy and work of their ancestor. For the first time in American history, the descendants of an enslaved African American artist are seeking the return of artwork from museums and collectors who have long benefited from artifacts created under enslavement. We are committed to securing equality and eliminating prejudice. We recognize that in the visual art field, precedent for ethical restitution has been set by institutions and laws restoring ownership of artworks to Indigenous, Jewish, and other communities – but never before have the same rights been granted to an African American family. The family is not asking for anything new, only the dignity of what has been awarded to other families before. 

Known widely as "Dave the Potter," Mr. Drake was forced to hand-craft over 40,000 stoneware jars under deplorable conditions at a ceramics plantation in Edgefield, South Carolina. He risked life and limb, defying anti-literacy laws by inscribing his name and poems onto jars he would never be granted the right to own. Today, nearly two centuries after their creation, more than 240 of his works sit in museum collections and private hands across the nation – one even broke the auction sales record for a ceramic work. And yet, while his pieces have been sold, passed down, and acquired by curators and collectors, multiple generations of Mr. Drake's heirs have lived and died without ever knowing of their connection to his legacy. 

The impact of slavery is not confined to our past; it endures wherever institutions continue to benefit from what our ancestors created without recognizing the rights of their descendants. We must not perpetuate the injustice of enslavement by denying the Williams family a voice in what happens to his work today.

The NAACP applauds the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Georgia Museum of Art, the Telfair Museums, and the two collectors who have stepped forward to do the right thing and restore ownership to Mr. Drake's family. We urge every museum, collector, and institution possessing work by David Drake to do what is right: engage with the Drake family, return these works, and act in accordance with their own ethical frameworks and honor the widely recognized moral imperative for repatriation.

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About NAACP

The NAACP advocates, agitates, and litigates for the civil rights due to Black America. Our legacy is built on the foundation of grassroots activism by the biggest civil rights pioneers of the 20th century and is sustained by 21st century activists. From classrooms and courtrooms to city halls and Congress, our network of members across the country works to secure the social and political power that will end race-based discrimination. That work is rooted in racial equity, civic engagement, and supportive policies and institutions for all marginalized people. We are committed to a world without racism where Black people enjoy equitable opportunities in thriving communities.

NOTE: The Legal Defense Fund – also referred to as the NAACP-LDF – was founded in 1940 as a part of the NAACP, but now operates as a completely separate entity.