“Crossing Borders: From Slavery to Abolition, 1670-1865,” an exhibition curated by the first-year writing seminar “Crossing Borders,” presents a history of slavery and abolition through a selection of items from Haverford College’s Quaker & Special Collections. The exhibit pursues a number of themes, investigating, for example, the roles of literature, religion, education, and activism in the abolition movement. In particular, the exhibit foregrounds the experiences, perspectives, and actions of enslaved and formerly enslaved people like Phillis Wheatley and chooses to examine rather than ignore difficult topics such as “the white savior complex” in abolition. The exhibit aims to communicate the complex history of slavery and abolition with care and clarity to an audience on and beyond campus.
The exhibit is on display in the Rebecca and Rick White Gallery, Lutnick Library, Haverford Collge, March 2 - September 30, 2020.
Credits
Curated by Sarah Wilma Watson, Visiting Assistant Professor of English at Haverford College and the students of her "Crossing Borders" Writing Seminar in Fall 2019 with the support of Sarah Horowitz, Head of Quaker and Special Collections at Haverford