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In this poem, Nell and her family follow the North Star and navigate the Underground Railroad to freedom.

Patty, a young enslaved girl, shares some insight about life on a South Carolina plantation.

Mary loves Sunday mornings and the spirituals that give her and Mama hope.

William Wells Brown was born into slavery and later escaped to become one of the foremost supporters of abolition.

When Africans were brought to American shores in chains, they brought pieces of Africa with them and used their traditions, music and culture to help them survive.

In this poem, Smith recounts her experience at a Geechee Gullah Ring Shouters’ show and the love she, and every other audience member, was shown.

Mary Jenkins describes growing up in the Jim Crow era and frequently being told, “You can’t”—both by a mother terrified of what might happen to her daughter if she stepped out of her expected place, and by a system that had institutionalized segregation as a way of life.

“Tosh Yasutake’s father was arrested by the FBI after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and held in internment camps administered by the Department of Justice. The rest of the family was incarcerated in the Minidoka concentration camp, Idaho. Tosh volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team while still in camp. In this clip, he talks about making that decision.”

“Masao Watanabe grew up in Seattle, Washington, and during the war was initially sent to the 'assembly center' at the fairgrounds in Puyallup, Washington. In this video clip, he talks about his initial reactions upon arrival.”