The Local Black Histories Project

The Local Black Histories Project is a research collaboration between The Village Initiative and William & Mary. The Village Initiative, directed by Jacqueline Bridgeforth Williams, is a grassroots organization focused on equity and racial justice in the school system. 

The Village Initiative launched The Project in 2019 through an effort to collect oral histories and host community discussions around the complicated legacies of school integration. In fall of 2019, Omiyęmi Green, Professor of Africana Studies and Theatre, and I, and later Monika Gosin, Associate Professor of Sociology, began supporting this project. 

Over 50 students have contributed to the project since that time. In January 2020, The Village Initiative convened a Descendant Advisory Board of leaders from the descendent community that oversees the project. 

In November 2021, the Project launched an online archive of oral histories, primary documents, curated exhibits, and curricular materials focused on local Black histories. This archive is designed to support community education and research and to aid educators in their efforts to integrate these histories into K-12 classrooms.