Shining Light on Truth presents evidence of the essential role of enslaved and free Black people in New Haven and at Yale. It celebrates Black resistance and community building. And it illuminates knowledge kept alive in archives and memory for more than three centuries—even when the dominant culture chose to ignore, bury, or forget.
The exhibition complements the publication of Yale and Slavery: A History and draws from the Yale and Slavery Research Project’s key findings in areas such as the economy and trade, Black churches and schools, the 1831 Black college proposal, and memory and memorialization in the 20th century and today. The exhibition has a special focus on stories of Black New Haven, including early Black students and alumni of Yale, from the 1830s to 1940. Curated by Michael J. Morand with Charles E. Warner, Jr., designed by David Jon Walker, and presented by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University Library.