At a time when public officials are putting limits on the recounting of Black history, Broward County\u2019s African American Research Library & Cultural Center (AARLCC) is presenting\u00a0\u201cTo Be Sold: Enslaved Labor and\u00a0Slave\u00a0Trading in the Antebellum South,\u201d an exhibit that explores domestic slave trade in the American South through original archival documents and artwork by John W. Jones.<\/p>\n
Historian and AARLCC Library Manager Dr. Tameka Bradley Hobbs opened the exhibition by moderating a conversation between South Carolina State Sen. Mia S. McLeod and author Margaret Seidler, descendants connected by slavery.<\/p>\n
During the conversation, entitled \u201cCultural Conversation: A Bridge to Truth and Connection,\u201d McLeod and Seidler revealed personal stories of reconciliation and healing.<\/p>\n
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“A Likely Girl” by John W. Jones.<\/p>\n
(Courtesy of AARLCC)<\/p>\n
The exhibition draws inspiration from Seidler\u2019s award-winning book \u201cPayne-ful Business: Charleston\u2019s Journey to Truth.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the book, Seidler uses research and personal experience to explore the realities of Charleston, South Carolina\u2019s racial history while highlighting the historians, journalists, and community members who work to reconcile these truths.<\/p>\n
Central to the exhibition are authentic 19th-century slave advertisements, researched by Seidler, a Charleston native who confronts her family’s legacy of three generations of enslavers.<\/p>\n
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![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/692f7f057b5b3.image.jpg\")
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“Book Binder” by John W. Jones.\u00a0<\/p>\n
(Courtesy of AARLCC)<\/p>\n
In a press release, Hobbs described what visitors to the exhibit can expect.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis exhibition challenges us to confront the difficult truths of our shared history \u2014 not to retraumatize, but to honor the strength and humanity of those who were enslaved,\u201d Hobbs said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThrough honest dialogue, we create space for understanding, healing, and reflection,\u201d she added. \u201cIt is through this connection between past and present that we move toward a more informed, compassionate, and united future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The exhibit is presented in partnership with\u00a0Partners in Racial Justice\u00a0and the\u00a0Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.<\/p>\n
One of five specialty libraries in the country, the African-American Research Library and Cultural Center highlights the contributions of persons of African and Caribbean descent.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Be Sold: Enslaved Labor and\u00a0Slave\u00a0Trading in the Antebellum South\u201d will be on view through Dec. 27, 2025, at the African American Research Library & Cultural Center (AARLCC) Gallery, 2650 Sistrunk Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311. Admission is free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"At a time when public officials are putting limits on the recounting of Black history, Broward County\u2019s African…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":68848,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[40080,40074,40086,40075,40094,40090,40078,40092,40082,40087,40076,40083,40077,249,251,250,40085,40079,40081,40084,40089,40088,40091,40093,40073],"class_list":["post-68847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-19th-century-slave-advertisements","tag-aarlcc-fort-lauderdale","tag-african-american-archival-documents","tag-african-american-research-library-exhibit","tag-antebellum-south-historical-exhibit","tag-black-history-exhibitions-florida","tag-broward-county-black-history","tag-caribbean-and-african-diaspora-culture","tag-charleston-slavery-history","tag-confronting-americas-slavery-legacy","tag-domestic-slave-trade-history","tag-dr-tameka-bradley-hobbs","tag-enslaved-labor-in-the-antebellum-south","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news","tag-gullah-geechee-cultural-heritage-corridor","tag-john-w-jones-artwork","tag-margaret-seidler-payne-ful-business","tag-mia-s-mcleod-cultural-conversation","tag-partners-in-racial-justice","tag-racial-reconciliation-and-healing","tag-slavery-education-restrictions","tag-south-carolina-slavery-research","tag-to-be-sold-exhibit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68847","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68847"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68847\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/68848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68847"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68847"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68847"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}