Shining Light on Truth

Shining Light on Truth: New Haven, Yale and Slavery presents evidence of the essential role of enslaved and free Black people in New Haven and at Yale. It celebrates Black resistance and community building, and illuminates knowledge kept alive in archives and memory for more than three centuries—even when the dominant culture chose to ignore, bury or forget. 

The exhibition opened on February 16, 2024, as part of a set of efforts to share widely the findings of the Yale and Slavery Research Project, including a book, a website, and audio walking tour. 

Join us on Wednesday, November 20th for a conversation and tour with the exhibit curator Michael Morand.

The exhibition features archival images of materials from Yale's Beinecke Rare Books & Manuscript Library and other collections, connects to items in the New Haven Museum collections, and notes other local sites of memory. It introduces visitors to some of the unheralded builders of Yale. It celebrates early Black writers such as Jupiter Hammon, Jacob Oson and William Grimes, and it showcases women such as Mary Ann Goodman, whose generosity opened paths for Black students at Yale, as well as the women who were local pioneers in Black education early in the 19th century.  

Light refreshments will be provided.