How 3 American families blurred the lines of race "The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White," researches the Gibsons, Louisiana sugar planters who descended from free blacks in South Carolina and became wealthy slave holders; the Spencers, descended from two free black men who married two white sisters; and the Walls, descended from a slave owner who fathered children with three of his slaves. Georgia marks Civil War's '40 acres and a mule' The Georgia Historical Society unveiled a marker summing up the history of the "40 Acres and a Mule" … [Read more...]

Slave cemetery registry for 16 counties in East Tennessee in the works The nonprofit historic preservation group Knox Heritage and the affiliated East Tennessee Preservation Alliance are partnering with a number of local black history groups - including the Beck Center and the African-American Heritage Alliance - to establish a regional slave cemetery registry. "We plan to locate the sites, confirm their findings, draft a brief history and create a database to include pictures and all materials we uncover. We plan to develop a booklet with all this information for educational purposes." … [Read more...]