The Texas Freedom Colonies Project

Texas African American Cemetery Guide & Survey Due to recent news stories about African American cemeteries and Juneteenth, there has been increased interest in Black burial grounds and preserving related histories.  The Texas Freedom Colonies Project  has been recording these histories, community-based stories, and grassroots efforts since 2014.  Our Atlas holds digital visual histories of hundreds of Black settlements throughout Texas.  Over the next two months, we will be finalizing our strategic plan for an enhanced website and mobile registry for documenting  burial grounds . Join us as we raise awareness as to what can be done to address the needs of freedom colonies and their remaining cemeteries, while also building a registry. Please visit the site and share your stories and upload materials there. Also, invite us to work with your community to record Black historic sites, including cemeteries.  Add to our Atlas--a database of stories, statist...

Acknowledging Historic Black Landscapes from ASLA on Vimeo .   From ASLA: For the 12th annual HALS Challenge, the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) invites you to document historic Black landscapes, and ASLA’s HALS Subcommittee organized a webinar related to this theme for Black History Month. Watch the recording to learn about historic cultural landscapes, the Texas Freedom Colony Atlas and Study, and New York City Parks’ documentation of historic Black landscapes. For more on the 2021 HALS Challenge: thefield.asla.org/2021/01/14/the-2021-hals-challenge-historic-black-landscapes/ Presenters:  Elizabeth J. Kennedy, ASLA, NYCOBA-NOMA Principal, EKLA PLLC  Andrea Roberts, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University  Joseph Disponzio, Ph.D. Preservation Landscape Architect, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation  Christopher Stevens, ASLA Acting C...

TXFCP and the Bullock Texas State History Museum are working together on a digital archive that raises awareness of freedom colonies and preserves, connects, educates, and honors the legacies of the colonies as a part of the story of Texas. Learn more about the project and submit a photo of your own at https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/texas-through-your-lens/freedom-colonies-storytelling  The Texas Freedom Colonies Storyteller Project is a collaboration between The Texas Freedom Colonies Project™ and the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Made possible in part by funding from the Whiting Foundation.

Exciting news about the Atlas coming soon! 

 

 

What does it mean to "call forth" freedom in an age of political change, unrest, and a pandemic? How should our approaches to research, community engagement, design, and planning change? What lessons can we learn from our ancestors and our lived experience? The Texas Freedom Colonies Project has invited Dr. Naya Jones to help us navigate all of these topics in an upcoming live conversation. Please join us for this wonderful dialogue on the arts, freedom-centered scholarship, and healing. It is a great way to be intentional about how you want to enter 2021! "Calling Forth Freedom" featuring scholar and healing arts practitioner Dr. Naya Jones will take place on The Texas Freedom Colonies Project Facebook page  Friday, December 4 at 9:30 am Pacific  and  11:30 am Central Time . This event is made possible in part by Texas A&M's ACADEMY FOR THE VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS' new "Virtual Workshop Grant."