The Texas Freedom Colonies Project

Acknowledging Historic Black Landscapes from ASLA on Vimeo .   From ASLA: For the 12th annual HALS Challenge, the Historic American Landscapes Survey (HALS) invites you to document historic Black landscapes, and ASLA’s HALS Subcommittee organized a webinar related to this theme for Black History Month. Watch the recording to learn about historic cultural landscapes, the Texas Freedom Colony Atlas and Study, and New York City Parks’ documentation of historic Black landscapes. For more on the 2021 HALS Challenge: thefield.asla.org/2021/01/14/the-2021-hals-challenge-historic-black-landscapes/ Presenters:  Elizabeth J. Kennedy, ASLA, NYCOBA-NOMA Principal, EKLA PLLC  Andrea Roberts, Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture & Urban Planning, College of Architecture, Texas A&M University  Joseph Disponzio, Ph.D. Preservation Landscape Architect, New York City Department of Parks & Recreation  Christopher Stevens, ASLA Acting Chief, Historic American

TXFCP and the Bullock Texas State History Museum are working together on a digital archive that raises awareness of freedom colonies and preserves, connects, educates, and honors the legacies of the colonies as a part of the story of Texas. Learn more about the project and submit a photo of your own at https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/texas-through-your-lens/freedom-colonies-storytelling  The Texas Freedom Colonies Storyteller Project is a collaboration between The Texas Freedom Colonies Project™ and the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Made possible in part by funding from the Whiting Foundation.

Exciting news about the Atlas coming soon! 

 

 

What does it mean to "call forth" freedom in an age of political change, unrest, and a pandemic? How should our approaches to research, community engagement, design, and planning change? What lessons can we learn from our ancestors and our lived experience? The Texas Freedom Colonies Project has invited Dr. Naya Jones to help us navigate all of these topics in an upcoming live conversation. Please join us for this wonderful dialogue on the arts, freedom-centered scholarship, and healing. It is a great way to be intentional about how you want to enter 2021! "Calling Forth Freedom" featuring scholar and healing arts practitioner Dr. Naya Jones will take place on The Texas Freedom Colonies Project Facebook page  Friday, December 4 at 9:30 am Pacific  and  11:30 am Central Time . This event is made possible in part by Texas A&M's ACADEMY FOR THE VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS' new "Virtual Workshop Grant."

   Introduction to The Texas Freedom Colonies Project What are Freedom Colonies? Jamestown Settlement, Newton County, Annual Homecoming (2015) From 1865-1930, African Americans accumulated land and founded 557+ historic black settlements or  freedom colonies. Since their founding, freedom colony descendants have dispersed, and hundreds of  settlements’ status and locations are unknown. Gentrification, cultural erasure, natural disasters, urban  renewal, & land dispossession have all contributed to their decline. Freedom colony descendants’ lack of  access to technical assistance, ecological and economic vulnerability, and invisibility in public records has  quickened the disappearance of these historic Texas communities. What is the Texas Freedom Colonies Project? The Texas Freedom Colonies Project puts freedom colonies on the map, on policy agendas,  and at the center of Texas history . Our goal is to prevent the erasure, destruction, and decay of cultural  properties within settl