Tides of Freedom

Tides of Freedom: African Presence on the Delaware River features recently uncovered artifacts from the Museum’s collection, gripping first-person accounts and interactive elements, providing visitors with opportunities for discovery and communication. Using four key moments in Philadelphia’s history representing the themes of Enslavement, Emancipation, Jim Crow, and Civil Rights, Tides of Freedom urges visitors both to bear witness to a story central to Philadelphia and American history, and to think about the meaning of “freedom” both historically and in today’s world. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage in an ongoing discussion via social media at several points in the exhibition.

“Tides of Freedom” is a series of rooms; the first represents the arrival of Africans to Philadelphia as slaves. The museum made a simple wooden platform. When you stand on it, your weight triggers an audio recording of an auction caller.

Peter Crimmins- newsworks, WHYY