It was just a simple family photograph from 1872, but take a closer look at the sister’s hand.

This portrait from 1872 no longer simply depicts a family in their finest attire. It is proof that, after slavery, men, women, and children demanded the right to be perceived as a fully-fledged, dignified family, standing upright despite their scars.

Ruth’s hand, drawn but clearly visible, seems to say to those who look at it today: “We suffered, yes. But we also lived, loved, and built a future for ourselves. Don’t see us only as victims, but as survivors.”

And perhaps therein lies the most beautiful power of a simple old photograph: to transform repressed pain into a message of courage that lasts for generations.