UMass Amherst Exhibition Spotlights Untold Stories of Northern Slavery Through Student-Made Children’s Books

AMHERST, MA — A groundbreaking exhibition opened today at UMass Amherst that aims to reshape how children—and society at large—understand the history of slavery in North America. Titled Sowing History, Reaping Justice: Writing Children’s Books About Slavery in Canada and the US North, the show is the inaugural exhibition by Slavery North and features 18 original illustrated children’s books created by students in Professor Charmaine A. Nelson’s art history course The Visual Culture of Slavery.

Held at Slavery North’s offices on the UMass Amherst campus, the exhibition offers a rare educational lens on a part of Transatlantic Slavery often neglected in mainstream narratives: the enslavement of Black people in regions not typically associated with the institution, such as Canada and the northern United States.

“My students have risen to the challenge of creating powerful children’s books that accurately represent Transatlantic Slavery while engaging young readers with age-appropriate materials,” said Professor Nelson, the Founding Director of Slavery North and Provost Professor of Art History at UMass Amherst.

Nelson emphasized the gap the exhibition seeks to fill: “There is no shortage of children’s books focused on slavery in tropical regions. What is missing is academic and children’s literature about slavery in the North.”

The exhibition launched with a public reception on April 16 from 3:30 to 5:30 PM and will remain open through June 6, 2025. Visitors can view the works Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 8 PM, at 472 North Pleasant Street in Amherst. Admission is free and suitable for all ages, with paid parking available in Lot 52.

The featured books are deeply personal and historically informed. Graduate student Georgia Brabec wrote Charlotte and the North Star, focusing on a child’s experience of enslavement at Fort Snelling, a military base in Minnesota. “Confronting this often-overlooked history is essential to understanding the foundations of racial injustice on which Minnesota—and North America as a whole—were built,” Brabec said.

Another student, Emmanuel Nkuranga, created Kumbuka: The Boy Who Was Stolen from Africa, inspired by the real-life stories of millions of African children who were torn from their homes and sold into slavery. “My book tells the story of a fictional boy who represents the true experiences of millions,” he explained.

Professor Nelson added, “At a time when various forces are conspiring to sanitize these histories or to ensure that they are not taught at all, this work is more important than ever.”

For more information on the exhibition, visit: https://slaverynorth.com/event/sowing-history

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