The International African American Museum (IAAM) has unveiled a powerful new exhibit, Speaking Truth, a national archive that captures family oral histories about the impact of slavery and the ongoing pursuit of reconciliation.
The exhibit opens Tuesday, Oct. 28, and will be available Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the IAAM.
Permanently housed in the museum’s Center for Family History (CFH), Speaking Truth features 52 video testimonials from Americans reflecting on their families’ connections to enslavement, its lasting effects, and their efforts to make amends. Donated by Speaking Truth, an Arizona-based reconciliation project, the collection offers a valuable resource for genealogists, historians, and visitors tracing family histories.
“The Center for Family History at the International African American Museum is delighted to have the opportunity to showcase this unique collection in its digital archives,” said Jennifer Randall, CFH programs manager and lead archivist at IAAM. “Not only do the videos open a truth-seeking dialogue for descendants of enslavers, but their stories showcase important pieces of historical and genealogical information that will be crucial for those researching the enslaved — especially their descendants.”
The testimonials connect deeply to some of America’s earliest colonists, prominent slave traders, and signers of the Declaration of Independence. Together, they reveal a more complete and unflinching narrative of the transatlantic slave trade and the practice of chattel slavery in what became the United States.
The short videos share personal discoveries unearthed through family stories, letters, plantation ledgers, and wills — documents that helped participants confront the legacies of their ancestors and begin their journeys toward reconciliation.
Before being permanently housed at IAAM, Phoenix, Arizona residents Rea Bennett and Michael Zirulnik collected the Speaking Truth testimonials from across the country as a way to atone for their own families’ histories. Their search for a permanent home for the archive led them to the IAAM.
“Speaking Truth serves as broadcast evidence of the deep harms of slavery and white supremacy that continue to damage our lived experience as Americans,” Bennett said. “It is also a practice of radical honesty and hope, and part of a movement among a wide swath of Americans toward true atonement and repair. We are thrilled the archive is housed at the International African American Museum.”
“Speaking Truth suggests a path toward reconciliation that begins with a simple step: facing the facts of slavery and its wide-ranging legacy in our own families and communities,” Zirulnik added. “From there, participants demonstrate opportunities, both large and small, for individuals and institutions to move forward and effectively redress these wrongs.”
With honesty and clarity, the Speaking Truth participants describe how all facets of American life have been shaped by slavery and the institutional racism that followed — often perpetuated by the same families. Their stories illustrate how confronting that history can lead to understanding, accountability, and renewal.
Excerpts from “Speaking Truth” Testimonials:
“My ancestor, Robert Carter, died in 1732, the richest man in Virginia. He had 300,000 acres and 1,000 enslaved people. A journal describes his preferred method for keeping people from running away: cutting off their toes. … This notion that the wealth everyone in this country has now was all earned fair and square is completely wrong. We've had every advantage. Personally, I am trying to give away my wealth and am involved in the solidarity economy. I push myself to do more because I do have a choice. I'm responsible for this heritage and to back away from it or to bury it would be wrong.”
— Allison Thomas, descendant of Carter Braxton, signer of the Declaration of Independence
“As I reflect on my family history, I am proud, shamed, reflective, and determined to learn more about my family, both on the Black side and the White side. It’s very interesting to figure out exactly what happened back then, and what’s happening now.”
— Tony Grant, descendant of an enslaver and an enslaved woman
“I grew up in the Jim Crow South. … I hold no illusions that [my ancestor’s] practice of enslavement was humane. It is my responsibility as a descendant to move this history forward, to create a counterpoint. In my view, I have no choice morally except to atone for this in the most intelligent and sincere and giving way that I can.”
— Rea Bennett, Speaking Truth participant