Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad
ALEXANDRIA, VA – From February 2 to March 16, 2019, the Alexandria Black History Museum will exhibit beautifully dramatic color photographs and narratives that together tell the story of the Underground Railroad. The exhibition is free an open to the public Tuesday- Saturday 10 am until 4 pm.
Photographer Jeanine Michna-Bales has spent more than a decade meticulously researching “fugitive” slaves and the ways they escaped to freedom. While the unnumbered routes of the Underground Railroad encompassed countless square miles, the path Michna-Bales documented encompasses roughly 2,000 miles and is based on actual sites, cities, and places that freedom-seekers passed through during their journey. Whether they were slaves trying to escape or free blacks and whites trying to help, both sides risked everything for the cause of freedom. From the cotton plantations south of Natchitoches, Louisiana, all the way north to the Canadian border, this series of photographs by Michna-Bales helps us imagine what the long road to freedom may have looked like as seen through the eyes of one of those who made this epic journey.
The Alexandria Black History Museum is located at 902 Wythe Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314 and it is five blocks from the Braddock Road Metro Station on the Yellow and Blue Lines. Street parking is available. For more information, please call 703.746.4356.