Oct. 25 - Fugitive Data Portraits @ VCU

As part of National Archives Month, the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia and VCU African American Studies present a special program exploring how digital tools and archival methodologies can illuminate Black resistance and reframe the historical record.

Author

Tev'n Powers
October 16, 2025

Next Saturday, October 25th, I’ll be speaking at VCU to share the latest digital essay from Fugitive Data Portraits: Notes on a Criminal Conspiracy. Register here to attend. I hope to see you there!

Time: Sat. Oct. 25, 2025 11am - 1pm

Location: VCU Hibbs Hall, Room 203 | 900 Park Ave, Richmond, VA 23284

Notes on a Criminal Conspiracy

As chairman of the Vigilance Committee of the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society and conductor on the Philadelphia Underground Railroad station, William Still recorded the "hardships, hair-breadth escapes, and death struggles" of nearly a thousand self-emancipators who traveled through the Philadelphia station. Almost three hundred of these freedom seekers were fleeing slavery in Virginia.

Together, we’ll look at trends and patterns in these acts of self-liberation, as well as the written accounts of these journeys to freedom. We’ll reflect on the importance of archives like this one for Black resistance and liberation movements.