The exhibit it follows six families through the generations: arrival at Monticello as slaves; dispersal at Jefferson’s death in 1827; migration across the country down to their descendants today. Co-curator Elizabeth Chew states that the most significant aspect of this exhibit is "the degree to which we can make the story of slavery the story of individual people and families." Until the mid-1980s, tours at Monticello avoided the topic of slavery, often referring to slaves more euphemistically as "servants." Sometimes they were cut out of the story entirely; tour guides and signs would say things like "the food was brought" from the kitchen to the dining room. Bringing these people back into the narrative is essential to understanding Thomas Jefferson’s life and work. They represent the community who brought him to his father on a pillow when he was born to those who adjusted the pillow under his head when he died."