TESTIFY Traveling Exhibit

2023 - 2025

About the Exhibit: SELCO was honored to bring the "TESTIFY: Americana from Slavery to Today" traveling exhibit to Southeast Minnesota. This impactful exhibit of artifacts from the Diane and Alan Page Collection was originally presented at the Hennepin County Library in 2018. Following the overwhelmingly positive response from the public, the exhibit returned in 2023 with a renewed call to action and a wider reach. The TESTIFY exhibit was more than just an exploration of our history, it was an invitation to share our stories, to learn from one another, and to seek healing, understanding, and connection. “Before reconciliation, there must be truth – and the truth can be ugly,” said Justice Page. “But we cannot reconcile and move forward if an increasingly louder group of people continue to deflect, minimize and sweep history under the rug.” The objects in the collection are facts: a White House brick made by enslaved people is displayed next to a gilded KKK Plate and a Civil War-era campaign banner for Abraham Lincoln that reads “Our Country Shall Be One Country." And while these facts might make people uncomfortable, that discomfort is needed to become conscious of 'unconscious bias,' and learn to recognize racism.
The Exhibit Visited the Following Libraries: Austin Public Library, Buckham Memorial Library (Faribault), Cannon Falls Public Library, Chatfield Public Library, Dodge Center Public Library, Freeborn County Historical Museum (in partnership with the Albert Lea Public Library), Harmony Public Library, Hokah Public Library, Houston Public Library, Kasson Public Library, La Crescent Public Library, Le Roy Public Library, Mabel Public Library, Northfield Public Library, Owatonna Public Library, Pine Island Public Library, Red Wing Public Library, Rochester Public Library, Rushford-Peterson Public School (in partnership with the Rushford Public Library), Spring Grove Public Library, Spring Valley Public Library, St. Charles Public Library, Wabasha Public Library, West Concord Public Library, Winona Public Library