Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad

Sailing to Freedom: Maritime Dimensions of the Underground Railroad highlights little-known stories and describes the less-understood maritime side of the Underground Railroad, including the impact of African Americans’ paid and unpaid waterfront labor. Self-emancipation along the Underground Railroad was not entirely by overland routes. A great number of enslaved persons made their way to freedom using…

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In the Footsteps of the Enslaved

Artist Dawoud Bey exhibition at the Sean Kelly Gallery in New York takes spectators on the path that tens of thousands were forced to walk, from the slave ships that landed at the James River’s docks to Richmond’s slave pens and markets.

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ABHM Book Club – How The Word Is Passed

Book Club graphic for How the Word is Passed

We will read How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith, a special selection in collaboration with the upcoming Building Legacies exhibit at Milwaukee Area Technical College (MATC). How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith explores the legacy of slavery through a tour of key historical sites, from Monticello to Angola Prison. Smith reveals how monuments and landmarks—some truthful, some deceptive—reflect the nation’s complicated history. With deep research and personal storytelling, Smith shows how slavery’s impact still shapes America today, offering a powerful reflection on the role of memory and history in understanding the nation’s past and its future.

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