Think Reponsibly – Wanted: The Runaways

The next installment of the Department of History’s Think Responsibly series will be held next Wednesday, November 15th at 12:00pm in The Debate Chamber (Scharbauer Hall 1001). Marilyn Pace, current AddRan senior and Development Intern at The MAC, will share some pieces from TCU alumnae Lillian Young’s project Wanted: The Runaways. This project is part of Young’s larger exhibit, The Problem with Archives: A Portrait is Worth Our Words.

Wanted: Runaways is a series of portraits inspired by runaway slave ads featured in the Freedom On the Move database. Using the descriptions provided by the enslavers, Young created her own interpretation of the runway enslaved. Specific physical facial descriptions such as scars or disfigurations are painted in a more realistic style while the rest of the face is represented by the actual words of the advertisements used to describe the enslaved.

The Problem with Archives: A Portrait is Worth Our Words features two projects, Wanted: The Runaways and The Black Elder Archive, that bring attention to historical Black experiences that have been or could be erased. Throughout The Problem with Archives: A Portrait is Worth Our Words, Young’s use of portraiture and language invites viewers to reexamine the ways in which history has been recorded. By shedding light on these moments, Young not only represents histories that have been or could be forgotten, but also creates a new way of sharing knowledge, experience, and memories.