Africa to Carolina: North Carolina Museum of History exhibit depicts journey of enslaved people

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A new exhibit at the NC Museum of History, Africa to Carolina, depicts the journey of enslaved people to the Carolinas.

The pop-up tells the story of the forced migration of enslaved persons from Africa and the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The North Carolina African American Heritage Commission began the Africa to Carolina initiative in 2018 to identify, acknowledge and eventually physically mark the sites of disembarkation at ports in the state. The exhibit is the first step to helping others learn about the impact the 2,000 enslaved individuals made in the state.

“In general, what contributions they had to our economy, to our built environment, and so many other different things,” explained Adrienne Nirde, Associate Director of the NC African American Heritage Commission.

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“And, I really hope what they walk away from is new eyes of what this history looked like and really understanding that it’s a complicated history and it’s a history that we’re still researching. But, it’s also important as North Carolinians to know that this is part of our story, even though it’s complicated, even though it might be hard to listen to and to hear it is still something very significant. And, for some people, their ancestors might have been the folks who came over in this way,” she added.

The Africa to Carolina exhibit will be at the North Carolina Museum of History through September.

It is free to visit.

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