McGuireWoods Consulting senior advisor and former Virginia Secretary of Education Jim Dyke aided in creating an exhibition titled “Un/Bound” at the Virginia Museum of History and Culture. Un/Bound will be at the museum from June 14, 2025, through July 4, 2027.
The exhibition tells the stories of free Black Virginians from 1619-1865 through artifacts, first person accounts and two centuries worth of stories. The museum also showcases new commissioned pieces by Ruddy Roye, a photographer honored by TIME Magazine. These new portraits depict the descendants of these free Black Virginians.
In 2020, Dyke was initially approached with the exhibition idea by William & Mary president Tim Sullivan and former vice president of Virginia Board of Education Alvin Schexnider. The trio then made the decision to partner with the Virginia History and Culture Museum, combining the museum’s funding with their research to reach a wider audience. In addition, five Virginia universities took part in the creation of the exhibition: Norfolk State University, Virginia State University, William & Mary, Richard Bland College and Longwood University.
The exhibition was anthologized by Virginia History and Culture Museum curator Elizabeth Klacsynski and took five years to complete. Klacsynski notes that the inclusion of the descendants of free Black Virginians highlights that these stories continue in the present day.
“This is not just something that happened 200 years ago,” said Klacsynski. “It’s right now and that’s so powerful. I hope people will take away the depth and breadth of the accomplishments of free Black Virginians, despite the many obstacles and limitations they faced.”
The museum emphasizes the importance of learning about alternative facets of Black American history. Dyke maintains that cognizance of the past is what allows us to move toward the future as a nation.
“It’s important for us to learn how we got to the position we’re in today,” Dyke said. “We need to understand our history to address the remnants of discrimination. More importantly, if you’re going to live in a global economy, you must be able to understand different cultures, different people and different backgrounds.”
Dyke hopes Black Virginian visitors take a poignant message of resilience and reverence from the exhibition.
“The Black community is standing here on the shoulders of people who are very courageous,” Dyke said. “They were enslaved and fought hard to become free. They persevered and succeeded. We have an obligation to do everything we can to make sure that those who come after us have even more opportunities and success.”
