Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865

A traveling version of the Virginia Museum of History and Culture's exhibition, Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865, which tells the stories of free Black Virginians from the arrival of the first captive Africans in 1619 to the abolition of slavery in 1865, and it is one of the first museum exhibitions to cover the subject in depth. 

Through first-person accounts and more than 200 years of stories, visitors will discover how Virginia’s people of color achieved their freedom, established communities, and persevered within a legal system that recognized them as free but not equal. The exhibition also features newly commissioned portraits by award-winning photographer Ruddy Roye, who TIME named Instagram Photographer of the Year, of some of the descendants of free Black Virginians who shared their stories and objects to help create the exhibition.

Building upon research about centuries of free Black Virginians and regional exhibitions focused on local communities, Un/Bound endeavors to encapsulate the broader, statewide story in depth and at a yet-to-be-seen scale through a collection of artifacts and rich histories told by descendants and experts. 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.