New VMHC exhibit chronicles the history of free Black Virginians during slavery

New VMHC exhibit chronicles the history of free Black Virginians during slavery

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Museum of History and Culture (VMHC) is unveiling a new exhibit called "Un/Bound: Free Virginians, 1619-1865," which tells the stories of free Black Virginians from the arrival of the first captive Africans to the abolition of slavery.

The exhibition is a combination of artifacts, pictures and first-person accounts to tell the story of the more-than-200-year quest for freedom. Curators said it's one of the first museum exhibitions to cover this subject in depth. 

"It's a group of people that we really don't know much about. They're not usually centered in the historical narrative and so we're trying to fix that," said Elizabeth Klaczynski, Associate Curator for the exhibition. 

"Free Black Virginians haven't really gotten their due in the way we think about Virginia history. It's chronologically based. It starts in the 17th century. You'll see stories -- what people did, how they created families, communities and how they claimed and maintained their freedoms."

The exhibition also includes commissioned portraits of some of the descendants of free Black Virginians who shared their stories and objects to help create the exhibition, taken by award-winning photographer Ruddy Roye -- who "TIME" named Instagram Photographer of the Year.

This exhibition was created by the VMHC in collaboration with subject matter experts and five institutions of higher education -- Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, William & Mary, Longwood University and Richard Bland College -- bringing together resources and knowledge to tell a compelling story of Virginia.

The exhibition is on display alongside VMHC’s multi-year commemorative exhibitions and displays related to America’s 250th anniversary from June 14, 2025, to July 4, 2027. Click here for more information.