The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture unveiled “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World”—its first international touring exhibition—Dec. 13. Through powerful forms of artistic expressions, such as quilting, music and ironwork, the exhibition reveals healing traditions rooted in the resilience of enslaved people.

Featuring more than 190 artifacts, 250 images, interactive stations and newly commissioned artworks, “In Slavery’s Wake” offers a transformative space to honor these legacies of strength and creativity. More information is available at nmaahc.si.edu/InSlaverysWake. The exhibition is open through June 8, 2025, in the museum’s Bank of America Special Exhibitions Gallery.

The exhibition delves into key questions about freedom and its expressions across six sections. Organized by the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Center for the Study of Global Slavery and the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University, “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World” grew out of a decade-long collaboration between international curators, scholars and community members who were committed to sharing stories of slavery and colonialism in public spaces. The collective worked across geographies, cultures and languages, connecting the past and the present.

A review of the book “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World,” edited by Paul Gardullo, Johanna Obenda A.M. ’19, and Anthony Bogues, written by various contributors, which is a companion to the exhibition of the same name on view at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture.

In its first international traveling exhibition, the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) in Washington is opening "In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World."

Born of 10 years of collaboration with curators from around the world, the exhibition tells a global story of slavery and colonialism and one of freedom, fought for and obtained. NMAAHC and exhibition co-convener Brown University's Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice worked with partners and community members to gather 150 oral histories that add a modern voice to the story.

The exhibition "In Slavery's Wake,” at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture, looks beyond the United States to tell a global story. Co-convened by the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, the Global Curatorial Project (GCP) is an international network of museums that has worked together over the last decade to put together this traveling exhibition, among other initiatives.

Exhibition Invites Visitors on a Journey of Collective Healing While Exploring the Enduring History of Slavery and Colonialism

The exhibition will delve into key questions about freedom and its expressions across six sections. Organized by the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University and the National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Center for the Study of Global Slavery, “In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World” grew out of a decade-long collaboration between international curators, scholars and community members who were committed to sharing stories of slavery and colonialism in public spaces. The collective worked across geographies, cultures and languages, connecting the past and the present.

A new Smithsonian book entitled "In Slavery's Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World," co-edited by Simmons Center Director Prof. Anthony Bogues, reckons with the enduring legacies of slavery and capitalism.

The book is the companion catalog to the exhibition of the same name that opens at the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of African American History and Culture on December 13, 2024.

Lonnie G. Bunch III, the 14th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, and Prof. Anthony Bogues, Director of Brown University's Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice (CSSJ), share about the Global Curatorial Project co-convened by the CSSJ and the Center for the Study of Global Slavery at the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Global Curatorial Project, which grew out of conversations that came after a conference at the CSSJ, includes the "In Slavery's Wake" exhibition and book project as well as the "Unfinished Conversations" oral histories project.