Rows of names, dates and notations in dusty county records may seem like dry data points. But to researcher Tev’n Powers, they reveal stories of resistance and freedom once left out of Virginia’s historical narrative.

On Wednesday, June 18, at noon, the Library of Virginia will host a free virtual talk featuring Powers, a Virginia Humanities fellow, software engineer and independent researcher. He will present findings from his project, “Fugitive Data Portraits: Self-Emancipation in Virginia,” which documents enslaved people who freed themselves during the Civil War.

Using archival records from across the state, Powers created a website featuring interactive data visualizations that highlight patterns in documented escapes from slavery. Contextualized with individual accounts, these “data portraits” offer a fuller picture of the lives and decisions of some of Virginia’s earliest freedom seekers — people often reduced to footnotes or left out of the historical record entirely.

The event is free, but registration is required at va-virginia.libcal.com. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov.