How Black families, torn apart during slavery, worked to find one another again
By Claretta Bellamy -
Throughout slavery, Black family units were in constant danger of disruption, and those in bondage had no control over the structure of their families, let alone their lives.
But the Reconstruction era, which followed the Civil War and the end of enslavement, was a pivotal turning point in history for African Americans and their families.
In the latest episode of the MSNBC podcast “Into America,” journalist Trymaine Lee visits the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., to get an exclusive look at the exhibition “Make Good the Promises: Reconstruction and Its Legacies.” During the interview, he speaks with Spencer Crew, the curator of the exhibit and the emeritus director of the museum, to help tell the story of Reconstruction through the Black perspective.
During Reconstruction, from 1865 to 1877, 4 million previously enslaved Black people worked to establish themselves in their new independence. Three new constitutional amendments, Crew said, “changed the nature of citizenship in this country.” The end of slavery also gave the opportunity for African Americans to reconnect with family members displaced over generations. Families would travel to nearby plantations and farms, while also placing advertisements in newspapers in hopes of being reunited with their long-lost loved ones.
READ MORE: How Black families, torn apart during slavery, worked to find one another again
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/how-blac...
Posted By: Dea. Ron Gray Sr.
Tuesday, February 15th 2022 at 9:32AM
You can also
click
here to view all posts by this author...
