The Imagined New (or, What Happens When History is a Catastrophe?) – Volume III at The Africa Institute gathered artists, scholars, and students to explore war, grief, and hope. Presented with VIAD and the Ruth J. Simmons Center, the program combined lectures, performances, and conversations to examine how violence shapes our world—and how alternative futures might be imagined.

In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World at the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores the global legacies of slavery, colonialism, and racial capitalism, and the enduring struggles for Black freedom. Through powerful storytelling, historical artifacts, and interactive displays, the exhibition foregrounds resistance—from shipboard rebellions to modern movements. Created in collaboration with the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, it underscores the importance of telling unvarnished histories at a time when such truths are increasingly under political threat.

'In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World' at the National Museum of African American History and Culture explores the legacy of slavery and the ongoing struggle for freedom. Through artifacts, art, and immersive installations, the exhibition highlights both the horrors of enslavement and the resistance movements that followed. Created in collaboration with the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, it brings together global research to showcase the history of Black liberation across continents.

Prof. Brittany Friedman’s book explores the nature of carceral violence and its impact on marginalized communities. The event was moderated by Simmons Center Research Cluster Faculty Fellow Prof. Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve.

The event was part of a series hosted by the Mass Incarceration and Punishment in America Research Cluster and sponsored by the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

When the American university took shape in the decades after the Civil War, slavery was an important subject of research almost from the start. But what does it mean to study slavery through historical records with inescapable biases? What counts as evidence, and who has the authority to make those determinations?

As many universities have begun to examine their involvement in slavery, Brown University's 2006 Slavery and Justice Report has served as a model for these studies which have now become a regular feature of the academic landscape.

Join WETA Arts host Felicia Curry as she explores "In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World," a groundbreaking new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. This powerful exhibit explores the lasting impact of slavery and the ways in which Black communities around the world have fought for freedom, resilience, and self-determination. 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.

In December 2024, In Slavery’s Wake was unveiled as a new Smithsonian Institution exhibition at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington. In Slavery’s Wake, a global curatorial project which brings together over 100 artifacts, 250 images, and ten interactive presentations and films, is led by the Washington, D.C. museum and Brown University’s Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

In Slavery’s Wake will now make its way to museums on four continents through 2028. It is the largest traveling exhibition that the museum has undertaken, and each of the countries featured in the exhibition has a historical connection to slavery and colonialism.

Simmons Center Director Prof. Anthony Bogues spoke on a panel at Politics and Prose in Washington, D.C. about the recently-edited volume "In Slavery’s Wake." Prof. Bogues was joined by other editors of the volume, Dr. Paul Gardullo, a historian and curator at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) and director of its Center for the Study of Global Slavery; and Johanna Obenda, A.M. ’19, a curatorial specialist at NMAAHC who explores stories of the varied African diasporic experience through the lens of art, history, and culture.

This powerful collection of essays, brought to life with more than 150 illustrations, investigates the intertwined legacies of slavery, freedom, and capitalism. The publication is a companion to the exhibition "In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World," on view at NMAAHC, and the documentary film, "Unfinished Conversations." All three projects came out of a set of conversations that began at Brown University in 2014 during a conference convened by the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

At Brown, Braun cofounded the program in science, technology, and society, and at the time of her retirement last year she was coleading the race, medicine, and social justice research cluster at the Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

On this episode of The Photo Detective, I’m joined by Seth Rockman, author of Plantation Goods: A Material History of American Slavery. Seth’s groundbreaking research uncovers the economic and material ties that connected New England industries to the Southern plantation economy in the 19th century. From the labor of Rhode Island seamstresses to the cotton fields of Mississippi, his work reveals the intricate networks of production and exploitation that defined this era. Join us as we explore the stories of everyday objects and the lives they shaped across America’s divided landscape.

Seth Rockman is an associate professor of history at Brown University and serves on the faculty advisory board of Brown University’s Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice.

“In Slavery’s Wake,” a new exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, deals in huge themes and vast numbers. Over four centuries, an estimated 12 million Africans were transported across the ocean on more than 36,000 voyages, an epochal forced migration that reshaped societies on both sides of the Atlantic.

The seeds of the exhibition were planted in 2014, when a group of international curators met at Brown’s Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Race and Justice, which Prof. Anthony Bogues leads.

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.

The Newport Historical Society has named Simmons Center Adjunct Lecturer in Slavery and Justice Dr. Akeia de Barros Gomes, Native Newport scholar and curator, to spearhead the development of a new center for Black History, set to open at the Wanton-Lyman-Hazard House. The appointment marks a significant step in the organization’s efforts to highlight Newport’s diverse historical narrative.

This past semester, as part of the Simmons Center’s Community Engagement Initiative and K–12 focus, we hosted Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM) in Norwood House as they held their annual fall training series. This year’s series was called Liberation 101 and was led by Suonriaksmay Keo (she/her/hers), the Youth Engagement Director of PrYSM.

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.

Simmons received the award for her accomplishments in higher education.

President Joe Biden presented former University President Ruth J. Simmons with the National Humanities Medal, an annual recognition of leaders in the humanities, during an Oct. 21 White House ceremony.

Simmons made history as the first African American woman president of an Ivy League institution when she served as Brown’s 18th president from 2001-2012. Simmons’ tenure at Brown and her work supporting equity in higher education were highlighted in a White House press release detailing honorees’ achievements.