(Un)known Project

(Un)Known Project unearths and honors the names and stories of enslaved Black people in America and the global African diaspora. The project supports learning, healing, and reconciliation through the creation of artistic spaces and experiences.

  • Dennah
  • Clara Brown
  • Will
  • Amy
  • Sall
  • Bett
  • Lucy Higgs Nichols
  • Aynefs
  • Casar
  • Liley
  • Jack
  • William
  • Susan
  • Charlotte
  • Coleman Lot
  • Washington
  • Edney
  • Amcy
  • Eve
  • “Maid servants”
  • Horace
  • Booze Johnson
  • Steward
  • William
  • Pleasant
  • Catherine
  • Hannah
  • Bob
  • Lewis
  • Gatewood Family
  • Fountain
  • Morley
  • Joseph
  • Sally
  • Indy
  • Prip
  • Unknown
  • Cornelia
  • Unknown
  • Jeremiah
  • Rachel
  • Unknown
  • Anthony
  • Peggy
  • Simon
  • Grant, Bate, Ann and one child. Giles, Manerva and one child. Kate, Cornelius and Ellen, Children of Eliza. Edgar A. Poe and Effie, Children of Manerva. Maria and Byson, Children of Eliza. Mary and Nancy, Children of Ann.
  • Isaac
  • Jude
  • Robert Scott
  • Isaac, Lydia, and a child, Anaca
  • Slaves (approximately 60)
  • Winnie Johnson
  • 69 Named and Unnamed Individuals
  • Dennah
  • Clara Brown
  • Will
  • Amy
  • Sall
  • Bett
  • Lucy Higgs Nichols
  • Aynefs
  • Casar
  • Liley
  • Jack
  • William
  • Susan
  • Charlotte
  • Coleman Lot
  • Washington
  • Edney
  • Amcy
  • Eve
  • “Maid servants”
  • Horace
  • Booze Johnson
  • Steward
  • William
  • Pleasant
  • Catherine
  • Hannah
  • Bob
  • Lewis
  • Gatewood Family
  • Fountain
  • Morley
  • Joseph
  • Sally
  • Indy
  • Prip
  • Unknown
  • Cornelia
  • Unknown
  • Jeremiah
  • Rachel
  • Unknown
  • Anthony
  • Peggy
  • Simon
  • Grant, Bate, Ann and one child. Giles, Manerva and one child. Kate, Cornelius and Ellen, Children of Eliza. Edgar A. Poe and Effie, Children of Manerva. Maria and Byson, Children of Eliza. Mary and Nancy, Children of Ann.
  • Isaac
  • Jude
  • Robert Scott
  • Isaac, Lydia, and a child, Anaca
  • Slaves (approximately 60)
  • Winnie Johnson
  • 69 Named and Unnamed Individuals

(Un)Known Project Events

From our public art unveiling to Broken Wings Still Fly and the Black Joy Silent Disco, learn more and RSVP for our upcoming events!

Tell a fuller story

Help tell a fuller story of the history of enslavement in America by sharing names, stories, documents, and locations. Interested in learning more? Delve into the map and information already submitted!

Leave a footprint

We invite you to leave a set of footprints in honor of people enslaved in America and beyond. This is a way to remember them and to honor their lives and stories.

(Un)known project experiences

    Broken Wings Still Fly

    Discover a powerful series of monologues based on the narratives of enslaved women in Kentucky

    On the Banks of Freedom Public Art Installation

    On the Banks of Freedom is a public art installation located on the banks of the Ohio River, which served as a dividing line between Kentucky – a slave state and Indiana - a free state.

    Frazier Museum (Un)Known Project Art Installation

    On June 1, 2022 the Frazier History Museum unveiled a commissioned art piece by glass artist Ché Rhodes as part of (Un)Known Project.

    Journeys to Freedom

    Journeys to Freedom: (Un)Known Project River Cruise is an immersive river excursion commissioned by IDEAS xLab and written and directed by artist Sidney Monroe Williams (they/them).