The Families

A historic black-and-white photo of a group of African Americans posing on the porch of a house

Several African American men and women standing in a circle in the woods, holding hands and looking down and the ground

“Banishment causes losses of all sorts. There is loss of opportunity… There’s loss of community.
And those things are very hard to get back.”

—Alfred Brophy, law professor

For the families featured in BANISHED, the legacy of racial banishment is not only a historical one, but also one that carries enormous relevance today. Issues of reparations, adverse possession and land loss gain urgency when addressed through a personal lens.

The Strickland family's ancestors were expelled from Forsyth County Georgia in 1912. Read an update on the state of the old Strickland burial ground (pictured at right) from family member Phyllis Minley.
Learn more about the Stricklands >>

The Brown family's ancestors, the Cobbs (pictured at left), were banished from Pierce City, Missouri in 1901. Read an update from Charles Brown, Jr. about his efforts to disinter his great-grandfather from the Pierce City cemetery and receive reparations from the town.
Learn more about the Browns >>