UNITED STATES | In Slavery’s Wake: The Smithsonian Exhibition That Follows Black Freedom Around the World
WETA Arts, In Slavery’s Wake at the Smithsonian NMAAHC
WETA PBS published an episode of WETA Arts on 10 February 2025 about In Slavery’s Wake: Making Black Freedom in the World, an exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture. Host Felicia Curry walks through it in a little over eight minutes.
WETA describes the exhibition as exploring “the lasting impact of slavery and the ways in which Black communities around the world have fought for freedom, resilience, and self-determination,” through rare artefacts, “global collaborations” and immersive art installations.
The words that matter are the last three of the title: in the World. An American national museum presenting slavery and Black freedom as a global story, rather than an American one with an international prologue, is a framing the Caribbean has every reason to welcome.
WETA’s description says the exhibition “challenges visitors to reckon with history while celebrating the strength and creativity of those who shaped it.” That double movement — reckoning and celebration — is the same one UNESCO makes in its heritage-sites film on the Reel.
Eight minutes is a tour, not the exhibition — but it is enough to show what the museum is arguing.
Video: WETA PBS (@WETAPBS), “‘In Slavery’s Wake’ is a Groundbreaking New Exhibit at the Smithsonian NMAAHC | WETA Arts”, hosted by Felicia Curry, published 10 February 2025. Quoted passages are from WETA’s own published video description. WiredJA is not affiliated with WETA or the Smithsonian.
