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An effort to preserve, honor, & sustain the legacy our first African American placemakers!

SHARE YOUR STORY!

Calling all descendants of Black settlements, museums, genealogists, educators, cemetery
associations, Rosenwald School alumni, community homecoming presidents,
archaeologists, archives, research institutes, HBCU alumni, Historical Landmark
Commissioners, writers, and anyone else who cares about the future of Black settlements!
Share your story at the first Freedom Colony Symposium at the 2015 Texas Purple Hull Pea
Festival, June 27 in Shankleville, Texas, (or during a private interview). Stories might tell us

Who founded the Freedom Colony, local

church, or school

How ex-slaves attained land

About celebrations that bring people back to

the community (reunions, homecomings)

Folk tales or funny stories

Your ancestors achievements and how you

think they should be recognized

Current challenges or preservation projects

Contact Andrea Roberts, Texas Freedom Colonies

Project founder at roberta318@gmail.com or The
Texas Freedom Colonies Project on Facebook.

Newton County is about 13 miles from Festival site.

Jasper is approximately 18 miles away. Click for
Accommodations and Lodging Information

Volunteer, donate, be a vendor, or help spread the word! Contact Lareatha Clay at
lhclay@prm-od.com for Festival Sponsorship Opportunities and Pam Wright at
pamwright46@yahoo.com about Booths and Farmers Market Space. Vendor registration is online:
http://www.shankleville.org/purple-hull-festival.html

WHAT IS THE TEXAS FREEDOM COLONIES PROJECT?

Freedom Colonies also known as Freedmen's

Towns, settlements, "my family place",
"where we go for homecoming", Black
settlements, or "the Black side of town".
Former slaves in Texas founded these
communities 1866-1890.
This project is part of a larger University of Texas
doctoral research study of how former slaves
built whole communities out of absolutely nothing
after Emancipation.
The Texas Freedom Colonies Project, a research
Shankleville, TX Homecoming, 2014
& social justice initiative, is dedicated to
Recording descendants memories & stories of how these communities began
Documenting ex-slaves contributions to Texas & American history
Learning about descendants present-day community development & historic preservation
concerns
Connecting descendants to planning & preservation resources and each other!

Look for Texas Purple Hull Pea Festival & The Texas Freedom Colonies Project on Facebook!