Antwoine Washington’s painting is part of a series, which explores the unforgiving wilderness and history of the Great Dismal Swamp. This critical habitat for a wide variety of birds, animals, plants, and other living things, became a safe haven for runaway slaves before the American Civil War. Here, amidst the dense woods and murky waters, the humans found temporary solace. The swamp, both a sanctuary and a prison, literally symbolizes the complex terrain of freedom—where every step towards liberation was met with brutal resistance, and if a runaway was caught, their Achilles was viciously sliced to prevent them from running again.