The Texas Freedom Colonies Project

Equity + Freedom's Footprint in Dallas Freedman's Towns from UTA CAPPA on Vimeo . November 18, 2017 Organized by the David Dillon Center for Texas Architecture College of Architecture, Planning, and Public Affairs University of Texas at Arlington Equity + Freedom’s Footprint in Dallas Freedman's Towns is part of the Physical City Track of the festival. That track deepens understanding of how Dallas was historically built to keep groups separate by race and income, and explores what ideas create spaces that bring people together. Andrea Roberts, assistant professor at Texas A&M University and founder of the Texas Freedom Colonies Project, is the keynote speaker.

The powerpoint below was presented this Friday in Galveston at the 2015 Texas Chapter American Planning Association Conference by Andrea Roberts, University of Texas at Austin/TX Freedom Colonies Project | Lareatha Clay, Shankleville Historical Society | Kim McKnight, City of Austin Here's a summary of what our 1 1/2 hour panel was about: "From 1870 to 1890, in the shadow of Reconstruction and violent nadir of American race relations that followed, former slaves founded more than 500 “Freedom Colonies” or Freedmen’s Towns across Texas. The purpose of this panel is to gain insight into how identity and memory among the dispersed, diasporic of descendants’ associated with Freedom Colonies catalyze their planning and historic preservation activities. How can understanding the way memory is operationalized in Freedom Colony heritage, cemetery, and homestead preservation projects enable public planners and cultural resources management professionals to better serve these enda...