Ruth J. Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice

In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World explores the history and enduring impact of the global slave trade through an understudied lens: the work of enslaved people and their descendants to build resilience and community through art, rebellion, spirituality and politics.

'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.

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.

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.

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.