Aug 01 'American history is a crazy-quilt experience': Monticello descendants talk ancestry and race By Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet In a long-anticipated move, signage, tours and public statements at Thomas Jefferson's historical Monticello estate now indicate without a doubt that Jefferson fathered the six children of enslaved woman Sally Hemings, and offer new insight into their lives. Jeffrey Brown… Continue reading
Jan 19 How a massive database could help people find their enslaved ancestors By Rashmi Shivni To help families and scholars, search for enslaved individuals and their descendants, Michigan State University researchers are launching a new project called "Enslaved: The People of the Historic Slave Trade."… Continue reading
Nov 10 This South African poet is helping a Maryland church protect a historic black cemetery By Andrew Bossone Members of the Macedonia Baptist Church in Bethesda, Maryland, believe the remains of some of the first freed African Americans are buried under ground nearby. Continue reading
Sep 29 Watch 3:33 Why I broke the rule of survival for black Americans By PBS News Hour Riley Temple was walking his dog around his Washington, D.C., neighborhood where he has lived for the past 25 years when a confrontation with the police made him break the rule that all black people are told to obey in… Continue watching
Aug 13 Watch 4:02 Local gives history of civil rights in Charlottesville By PBS News Hour Rallies on Friday and Saturday in Charlottesville, Virginia that were reminiscent of Ku Klux Klan gatherings shook people who have for generations fought for civil rights in Virginia and across the country. Activist, writer and educator Leontyne Peck with the… Continue watching
Aug 10 Watch 8:41 A presidential estate opens its doors to conversation on slavery By PBS News Hour Continue watching
Aug 09 How this slave descendent is helping reframe history at Madison's home By Anne Azzi Davenport, Alison Thoet Leontyne Peck has helped interpret several notable artifacts, many of which are now featured in a permanent exhibit at Montpelier called "The Mere Distinction of Colour."… Continue reading
Aug 01 Watch 7:29 A feast of African-American culinary contributions, baked into the South's DNA By PBS News Hour In chef and culinary historian Michael Twitty's new book, ancestry -- both his own and that of Southern food -- is a central theme. With "The Cooking Gene: A Journey through African-American Culinary History in the Old South," Twitty addresses… Continue watching
Aug 01 This sorghum-brined chicken recipe is a lesson in African-American history By Elizabeth Flock In his new book "The Cooking Gene," historian Michael W. Twitty traces the culinary roots of the South. Continue reading
Jul 03 Watch 3:56 At George Washington's house, remembering the enslaved people who built America By PBS News Hour A tour guide at George Washington's Mt. Vernon, who is also a distant relation of a person who was enslaved at the Virginia estate, offers his perspective about American history, slavery and the founding fathers. This story was produced by… Continue watching