The Albin O. Kuhn Library Gallery presents Shadow and Substance: African American Images from The Burns Archive, on display from January 25^th through March 19^th, 2010.

Since the early years of photography, African Americans appeared in front of and behind the camera. The images in Shadow and Substance, including portraits, snapshots and photographs, allow us to perceive how African Americans were seen by others and how they wished to be seen over the past 160 years.

Dozens of rarely seen photographs of men, women and children reveal the span of emotions of the African American experience. Shadow and Substance celebrates the strengths and accomplishments of African Americans in the face of oppression, subjugation and political disenfranchisement. From early images of slaves and Civil War soldiers to new voters and political activists, the exhibit is filled with shocking evidence of intolerance and remarkable illustrations of achievement.