A traveling exhibit from the Virginia Museum of History & Culture

At the Museum September 2, 2026 – October 17, 2026

Un/Bound: Free Black Virginians, 1619-1865 explores the lives of free Black Virginians from the arrival of the first captive Africans in 1619 to the abolition of slavery in 1865. Through powerful objects and first-person accounts, visitors will discover how Virginia’s people of color achieved their freedom and persevered within a legal system that recognized them as free but not equal.

This traveling exhibition consists of 10 double-sided retractable banner units. 

A beautiful book accompanies this exhibit and is available for purchase online or at the Museum.