Fugitive Data Portraits shares the history and stories of enslaved and self-emancipated Black people in Virginia through primary sources, data, and visual storytelling.

County records, fugitive slave ads, and correspondences from jailors shed light on the infrastructure enslaved people and their co-conspirators had to overcome when fleeing the plantation. Testimonies from the Underground Railroad, personal narratives, and interviews of formerly enslaved people provide a glimpse into the identities, experiences, and convictions of some of Virginia's earliest freedom fighters. Fugitive Data Portraits brings these archives and collections together to make these stories, often footnotes in or altogether omitted from the historical record, more accessible.

This project is supported by the Virginia Public Humanities Fellowship and the Library of Virginia. Contact Tev’n Powers for all inquiries and questions. Sign up to receive updates!