Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad

Photographer Jeanine Michna-Bales has spent more than a decade meticulously researching “fugitive” enslaved people and the ways they escaped to freedom. While the unnumbered routes of the Underground Railroad encompassed countless square miles, the path Michna-Bales documented encompasses roughly 2,000 miles and is based off of actual sites, cities, and places that freedom-seekers passed through during their journey.

Whether they were enslaved people trying to escape or free Black and white persons trying to help, both sides risked everything for the cause of freedom. From the cotton plantations south of Natchitoches, Louisiana, all the way north to the Canadian border, this series of photographs by Michna-Bales helps us imagine what the long road to freedom may have looked like as seen through the eyes of one of those who made this epic journey.

While many books have been written on the subject, there is very little visual documentation of the Underground Railroad because of its secretive nature. Today, as America becomes more and more diverse, Michna-Bales believes that an understanding of the experience—and those who lived through it—is more relevant than ever. The Underground Railroad united people from different races, genders, social levels, religions, and regions in a common and worthwhile cause. It was the first civil rights movement within America. Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad encourages visitors to learn more, ask questions, and open a dialogue on the subject, and in the end, provide a better understanding of our origins.

This exhibition features beautifully dramatic color photographs, ephemera, and narratives that together tell the story of the Underground Railroad. A publication that combines eighty-two original photographs and text with a diverse sampling of related ephemera is available for purchase here.

From an evaluation from the Griot Museum of Black History & Culture (Saint Louis, MO) about Through Darkness to Light: Photographs Along the Underground Railroad:
“The photography is stunning and the message profound. An interesting way to interpret the story. [The] programming grant made it possible to offer three rather than one program. Each program, different in content and artistic merit, added a unique interpretation to the exhibit and to the work of the artist. The programming also provided us the opportunity to engage multiple artist and subsequently the greater opportunity for our audience to interact with them.”