Culture, Lineage, Legacy
An independent archival and educational project preserving the history, culture, and contributions of American Descendants of Slavery. Through photographs, documents, research, and storytelling, we document the institutions built, innovations created, and cultural traditions sustained across generations—creating a comprehensive record for present and future understanding.
Honoring those who broke barriers and dreamed beyond them. Their courage opened doors. It's up to us to build the bridges.
This monument stands as testament to the generations who created institutions, built economic systems, and sustained culture under conditions designed to prevent exactly that.
Memorial Day's origins are deeply intertwined with the efforts of freedmen, particularly in Charleston, South Carolina.
On May 1, 1865, a group of newly emancipated slaves, along with white missionaries, organized a ceremony to honor and properly bury Union soldiers who had died in a Confederate prison camp. This event, which included a parade, speeches, and the placement of flowers on graves, is considered the first Memorial Day observance.
The ceremony drew over 10,000 people, most of them newly freed Black Americans. They understood what these soldiers had died for. They knew what their sacrifice meant. And they made sure those men were honored properly.