Reclaiming History and Repairing Injustice
Descendant communities across the world are working to reclaim silenced histories and heal from ongoing cycles of trauma caused by racial slavery and colonialism. For many, healing requires reckoning with the past and developing methods of repair.
Through storytelling, ancestral practice, and political action, communities are confronting the legacies of racial slavery and colonialism and imagining freer futures.
Honoring the Captives of the São José
Reclaiming Ancestors
Iron ballast from the São José slave ship
In 1794, the Portuguese slave ship São José Paquete d’Africa departed from Mozambique destined for Brazil. But on the way, it wrecked off the western coast of South Africa, where nearly half of the 512 captives died at sea. The remaining survivors were sold into slavery in South Africa. The story of the São José and its captives was lost to history until the remnants of the ship were discovered 200 years later by the Slave Wrecks Project.
The story of the São José and its captives was lost to history until the remnants of the ship were discovered 200 years later. In 2015, a memorial ceremony was held in Cape Town, South Africa. Soil from Mozambique was brought to the site of the wreckage to reconnect those lost to their homeland and community.
Evano Nhogache, traditional leader from Mossuril, Mozambique, entrusts the Smithsonian Institution with a cowrie shell basket and soil.
Slave Wrecks Project divers scatter soil from Mozambique near the wreckage of the São José Paquete d’Africa, 2015
Valongo Wharf
Reclaiming Spaces
Afro-Brazilian religious ceremony at Valongo Wharf, 2021
Beads recovered from Valongo Wharf
From 1811 to 1832, Valongo Wharf in Rio de Janeiro was the main port of entry for African captives in Brazil. An estimated 900,000 Africans arrived in South America through Valongo. In 2011, the site was uncovered during construction work.
The discovery revealed a significant number of archaeological materials—beads, shells, combs, and pipes—that were used by enslaved people. The site is now seen as a sacred space for Afro-Brazilians and global descendant communities, serving as a tangible link to the horrors of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and the resilience of the enslaved.
Weaving Stories
Artists and communities around the world are tapping into traditions of quilting, embroidery, and weaving to heal from traumatic pasts. Stitching together stories of struggle and joy, these practices help record histories for future generations while caring for the present generation.
These quilts and tapestries were created by artists and collectives from around the world, reflecting the legacies of slavery in South America, mass incarceration in North America, colonial rule in Africa, and modern-day human trafficking in Europe.
Artist Spotlight
Juana Alicia Ruiz Hernández and Healing History
Juana Alicia Ruiz Hernández (right) and other weavers of “Mujeres Tejedoras de Mampuján,” Mampuján, Colombia, 2020
Mampuján, Colombia has faced waves of violence throughout its history. Initially founded as a palenque, or maroon settlement, the community suffered a devastating attack by a paramilitary group in the year 2000. In the aftermath of the attack, community members came together to process their individual and collective traumas and seek healing.
Artist Juana Alicia Ruíz Hernández has led this effort, bringing together a collective of women healers to process their history and practice resilience through the creation of large-scale tapestries. She has also led the effort to open a museum and cultural center to share her community’s story.
Featured Object
Violencia y Esperanza en Colombia
Mampuján is one of 20 historical palenques—maroon settlements—formed by escapees in Colombia.
Juana Alicia Ruíz Hernández and other Mampuján weavers created this tapestry that depicts the paramilitary attack on their community. Violencia y Esperanza en Colombia (Violence and Hope in Colombia) serves as both a record of the atrocity and a tool for processing and healing.
Demanding Justice
Racial slavery and colonialism have caused immeasurable damage to Black communities worldwide. For centuries, enslaved and colonized people and their descendants have demanded justice for the horrors they faced. Today, communities are seeking to address the continuing legacies of exploitation, extraction, and dehumanization that have shaped our world.
The Reparations Debate
Reparations and reparative justice can take many forms. It may include the return of stolen cultural heritage, the recognition of land rights and political sovereignty, direct payments from governments and institutions, and investment into community infrastructure and environmental protections. In the United States, advocates call for reparations for slavery, segregation, and other forms of racial discrimination.
