Descendants of American Slavery Project
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| Descendants of American Slavery Project | |
|---|---|
| Name | Descendants of American Slavery Project |
| Type | Research and advocacy network |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Fields | Genealogy, reparations studies, public history |
Descendants of American Slavery Project is a US-based research and advocacy network focused on documenting lineages, social outcomes, and reparative strategies for African Americans tracing descent from antebellum slavery. The project engages historians, genealogists, legal scholars, archivists, demographers, and community organizers to link archival sources to contemporary policy discussions involving reparations, restitution, and historical memory. It collaborates with universities, museums, civil rights organizations, and local governments to advance documentation, outreach, and redress initiatives.
Background and Origins
The initiative emerged from intersections of scholarship and activism involving figures and institutions linked to debates around Ta-Nehisi Coates, Harvard University, Brandeis University, University of California, Berkeley, and the NAACP after high-profile works such as Coates's essay and subsequent legislative proposals influenced public discourse. Early collaborative partners included genealogists associated with Ancestry.com, archivists from the National Archives and Records Administration, legal scholars at the American Bar Association, and community historians from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and the Smithsonian Institution. The project drew on methodologies refined in studies by scholars at Howard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and University of Chicago as well as advocacy models used by the Caribbean Reparations Commission, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, and activists connected to Black Lives Matter.
Mission and Objectives
The project's stated mission aligns with aims articulated in proposals associated with the NAACP and legislative initiatives inspired by activists working with lawmakers such as members of the Congressional Black Caucus and scholars advising commissions like the California Reparations Task Force. Core objectives include establishing genealogical continuity tied to records from the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database, plantation records archived at repositories like the Library of Congress and the Virginia Historical Society, and integrating findings with policy recommendations presented to municipal bodies in cities such as Chicago, New York City, Los Angeles, and Atlanta. The project seeks recognition and remediation pathways discussed in contexts that involve institutions like the United Nations and historical redress efforts exemplified by cases involving Canada and reparations dialogues with entities such as the City of Evanston.
Research and Methodology
Researchers employ interdisciplinary methods rooted in archival research used by historians at Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and University of Virginia; genetic genealogy approaches similar to work by companies like 23andMe and consortia at The Broad Institute; oral history techniques practiced at the Oral History Association and the StoryCorps archive; and legal-historical analysis modeled on scholarship from Stanford Law School and Harvard Law School. Source bases include censuses held by the United States Census Bureau, Freedmen's Bureau records, plantation ledgers cataloged at the Newberry Library and the American Antiquarian Society, manumission documents preserved in state archives such as the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and the Georgia Archives, and maritime records linked to ports like Charleston, South Carolina, Savannah, Georgia, and New Orleans. Projects cross-reference findings with demographic studies from the Brookings Institution, economic analyses from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, and legal frameworks discussed in reports by the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the American Civil Liberties Union.
Programs and Services
Programs include community genealogy clinics modeled after initiatives at Ancestry.com and the Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center, public exhibits co-curated with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture and local museums such as the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, policy briefings delivered to bodies like the New York City Council and the California State Assembly, and educational curricula developed with universities including Spelman College and Morehouse College. Services offered are digital archival access platforms interoperable with the Digital Public Library of America, workshops in partnership with the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, and legal referral networks coordinating with the Equal Justice Initiative and local bar associations.
Community Impact and Reception
Reception has varied across civic leaders, academics, descendants, and institutions: praise from community organizations like the National Urban League and local chapters of the NAACP; critique from commentators aligned with think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation and debates in media outlets including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, and The New Yorker. Municipal responses include policy inquiries by cities like Evanston, Illinois and legislative attention in states such as California and Maryland, while universities ranging from Georgetown University to Texas Southern University have hosted public forums. The project has also informed museum exhibitions at institutions like the New-York Historical Society and contributed to curricular changes at school districts in locales such as Prince George's County, Maryland.
Funding and Partnerships
Funding sources combine philanthropic grants from foundations including the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation with programmatic partnerships involving academic centers at Harvard Kennedy School, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University and civil society collaborations with the Southern Poverty Law Center, Equal Justice Initiative, and local historical societies. Collaborative grants and contracts have been administered in coordination with municipal governments, university research offices, and nonprofits such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation and regional partners like the Vermont Humanities Council.