Freedom on the Move

Freedom on the Move is a groundbreaking project developed by the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, part of The New York Public Library. This initiative focuses on creating a comprehensive database of fugitives from North American slavery, showcasing thousands of "runaway ads" that emerged in newspapers and other publications. Originally intended to control the movements of enslaved individuals, these ads inadvertently captured rich personal details about their lives, providing invaluable insights into the history of resistance against slavery.

The database offers a wealth of resources for researchers, educators, and genealogists, serving as both a research aid and a pedagogical tool. After initial curation, Freedom on the Move utilizes crowdsourcing to enhance the database, enabling users to contribute full-text transcriptions and searchable metadata. This collective effort not only preserves the narratives of the past but also empowers scholars and community historians to explore and utilize this unique repository of information in innovative ways, fostering a deeper understanding of the experiences of enslaved people.