Slavery, for some, is an uncomfortable topic. But there is still so much to learn about that period in our history. There are so very few images that reflect what really happened. The African slave trade took place before photography.
Slavery, for some, is an uncomfortable topic. But there is still so much to learn about that period in our history. There are so very few images that reflect what really happened. The African slave trade took place before photography. So we have had to rely on memories, writings, drawings and artifacts to even begin to picture the horrors and inhumanity suffered by Africans who were captured and brought to America to live out the remainder of their lives as property.
The slave castle, as it is called, on Bunce Island tells a thousand horror stories. It’s still standing along the coast of Sierra Leone. This week, as the National Urban League’s 99th annual conference descends on Chicago, we will start on our way down “The Path to Power” by going back 400 years on Wednesday night as a new exhibit opens at The Field Museum called “Bunce Island: ABritish slave castle in Sierra Leone.”
The exhibit is a project of the Chicago Urban League in partnership with The Field and Accenture and is the second in a series of photographs and drawings that traces the progress of African-Americans from slavery to civil rights to empowerment.
So if you haven’t yet made it to The Field Museum to check out the “Road to Freedom: Photographs from the Civil Rights Movement” exhibit, now would be a good time to go. Road to Freedom closes September 7; Bunce Island will be on display through early 2010.
The Bunce Island exhibit consists of 20 door-size display panels, each containing text and images illustrating its history and links to North America. The exhibit also includes period drawings of the castle done in 1726, 1748 and 1805, as well as other drawings illustrating the slave trade era in Sierra Leone and North America. It’s a powerful piece, Chicago. You really ought to make time to see it. The Field Museum is also the site of the opening reception for the conference, which is being hosted by actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Terrence Howard. There will also be special appearances by Gov. Patrick Quinn and the Rev. Sen. James Meeks. And guess what? The reception is open to all convention attendees. It is going to be the place to be in Chicago on Wednesday night.
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