The Lemon Project: A Journey of Reconciliation

Virginia Beach, NSU release podcast on Black art and resistance

Virginia Beach, NSU release podcast on Black art and resistance “Black Futures: The Art of Resistance” features professors from Norfolk State and Old Dominion universities and is being released to celebrate Juneteenth.

Check out this new podcast BLACK in One Piece with Dr. Tasha. She took part in a Lemon's Legacies Porch Talk in spring 2024. We urge you to check out these conversations at https://youtu.be/iYa3RPQI1v4?feature=shared

"Blackity-Black-Black-Black" In this episode of BLACK in One Piece, host Dr. Tasha interviews Joseph Shepard, Chief of Staff at Lead for America. Joseph shares his thoughts on Blackness,...

Check out this article on our friends in Community & Civic Engagement: "Community engagement efforts at W&M undergo a transformation"

Community engagement efforts at W&M undergo a transformation Collaborative, creative changes reflect the university's commitment to student learning and community-driven change.

60 years ago, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed American justice

60 years ago, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed American justice On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the landmark law, saying he hoped to “eliminate the last vestiges of injustice” for Black Americans.

On July 4, we recommend viewing the Colonial Williamsburg program, "Created Equal," "a museum theatre exploration of African American perspectives on the Declaration, revolutions it inspired, and the ongoing struggle for equality and freedom in America." https://youtu.be/h2gdbOCq-P0?feature=shared

Created Equal The Declaration of Independence asserts that ‘all men are created equal’ and are endowed with certain unalienable rights - ‘life, liberty and the pursuit of ...

Williamsburg 16-year-old author goes on tour to encourage young writers

Williamsburg 16-year-old author goes on tour to encourage young writers One of the stops on author Geremiah Delvalle’s book tour is here at the Virginia Aquarium in Virginia Beach. His book is called 'Land of Scientia.'

Join the Lemon Project Genealogy Research Initiative for a Summer Sankofa Series Virtual Workshop, “Finding Joseph’s Family: A Model Case of Using Reverse Genealogy to Piece Together a Family Puzzle,” with Renate Yarborough Sanders on July 16 at 6 pm. https://events.wm.edu/event/view/lemonproject/357701

Tasked with finding descendants of sixteen enslaved persons sold by the Trustees of Wake Forest Institute (now University), the researcher shares steps taken and the variety of resources used to uncover the afterlife of one family line, bringing its legacy forward from slavery into the mid-twentieth century, one record at a time.

Renate Yarborough Sanders is the descendant of formerly enslaved ancestors, enslavers, and free people of color. She authors two blogs: “Into the LIGHT” and “Genea-Related;” and produces a “(Mostly) African American Funeral Programs” online database. Renate is a member of the National Genealogical Society, the North Carolina Genealogical Society (Publicity Director), the Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society (member of National Editorial Board and Vice-President and Newsletter Editor for the Hampton Roads Chapter), the Wake County Genealogical Society, and the Tyrrell County Genealogical and Historical Society. She is also a member of the lineage society, “Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage.” Renate cohosts “Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy,” an online platform and YouTube show, presenting genealogy programing and virtual events for North Carolina researchers; and she has served as panelist and guest on numerous web shows and podcasts. Renate has provided genealogy education for several institutions of higher learning, businesses, and descendant groups, and is an instructor for the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI). Her research has been featured on PBS Radio and in a National Geographic cover story and podcast. Currently, Renate is engaged in researching descendants of enslaved persons owned by Wake Forest University (then College).

StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative is recording in Williamsburg July 10-13. Reserve your space now! StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative provides a platform for veterans, service members, and military families to share their stories. In doing so we honor their voices, amplify their experiences, and let them know that we—as a nation—are listening.

StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative Recording - Williamsburg StoryCorps' Military Voices Initiative is recording in Williamsburg July 10-13.

D.C. Council approves money to study reparations for Black residents

D.C. Council approves money to study reparations for Black residents The District is likely to join localities nationwide in searching for concrete ways to reckon with slavery’s generational harm.

For Some Families of Color, a Painful Fight for a Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis

For Some Families of Color, a Painful Fight for a Cystic Fibrosis Diagnosis Universal screenings for the inherited disease promised to get babies diagnosed and treated sooner. But they still miss some children of color.

Negro Leagues baseball was even greater than the record books can say

Opinion | Negro Leagues baseball was even greater than the record books can say Integrating statistics from the segregated leagues should not dim the memory of their struggle.

How Harriet Tubman relied on nature to bring the enslaved to freedom

How Harriet Tubman relied on nature to bring the enslaved to freedom Entities of the natural world, from stars to trees to waterways, guided Tubman in her work on the Underground Railroad.

The Lemon Project hosted the Lemon's Learners Black History Matters Camp on June 24-25, 2024, with middle school students. Thank you to facilitators Ori and Sterling from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture's Robert F. Smith Center Explore Your Family History Center for developing and implementing the camp's oral history curriculum. We had a great experience with students as they learned about oral history, performed oral history interviews, visited W&M Libraries Special Collections Research Center, made art projects, and took part in a Donning of the Kente ceremony at Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved to conclude the camp. This camp was possible thanks to generous donors.

Academy Award winning Hampton grad’s work on display in Williamsburg

Academy Award winning Hampton grad’s work on display in Williamsburg Ruth E. Carter spoke with WHRO about her Afrofuturist inspiration and how Hampton and Williamsburg influenced her career in costume design.

Check out the Lemon Project Blog: "A New Perspective: Researching Twentieth-Century Documents" by LP research intern Sierra Manja

A New Perspective: Researching Twentieth-Century Documents – The Lemon Project Blog A New Perspective: Researching Twentieth-Century Documents Published June 5, 2024 By Sierra Manja, research intern to Dr. Jajuan Johnson, Lemon Project Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Research Associate What do you do when your archival research reaches a supposed dead end? This is a natural occurren...

Tony nominee Jocelyn Bioh puts braiders centerstage

Tony nominee Jocelyn Bioh puts braiders centerstage : It's Been a Minute This week, Brittany Luse sits down with playwright Jocelyn Bioh, whose new play, Jaja's African Hair Braiding, is up for five Tony Award nominations, including Best Play. The two discuss Bioh's unique approach to comedy, what it took to bring a hair affair to Broadway, and how to find humor in dark....

From WHRO: Virginia Beach parish creates scholarship honoring enslaved woman once owned by the church

Virginia Beach parish creates scholarship honoring enslaved woman once owned by the church Members of Old Donation Episcopal Church wanted to make amends for the church’s role in slavery. They decided the scholarship in Rachal’s name was one way to do it.

Activists call to rename the Francis Scott Key Bridge because he owned enslaved people

Activists call to rename the Francis Scott Key Bridge because he owned enslaved people Some activists and historians says it's time to rename the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore

Nell Irvin Painter’s understanding of America is beautiful and bracing. We should listen.

Review | Nell Irvin Painter’s understanding of America is beautiful and bracing. We should listen. “I Just Keep Talking” brings together wide-ranging and pointed essays by the author of “The History of White People.”

Justice for Ourselves highlights the struggles and successes of Black Virginians following emancipation

Justice for Ourselves highlights the struggles and successes of Black Virginians following emancipation Many people across the state are celebrating Juneteenth and the abolition of slavery. A new book from historians at the Library of Virginia aims to set the record straight about what life was like for newly freed Black Virginians following the end of the Civil War.

Yesterday on Juneteenth, Mellon Postdoctoral Research Associate Dr. Jajuan Johnson gave a tour of Hearth: Memorial to the Enslaved to visitors from Williamsburg Landing.

African Landing Memorial at Fort Monroe honors enslaved Africans and descendants

African Landing Memorial at Fort Monroe honors enslaved Africans and descendants The African Landing Memorial at Fort Monroe in Hampton— the site where the first Africans arrived in English North America in 1619 and subsequently sold in to slavery— breaks ground in August.

Scholarships extend to descendants of those denied a public education

Scholarships extend to descendants of those denied a public education Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship committee to award 44 people money for educational programs.

In case you missed this from WHRO, June 7: Williamsburg introduces African American Heritage Trail

Williamsburg introduces African American Heritage Trail The project aims to collaborate with Black residents to tell an often unheard side of Williamsburg’s history.

'Reclaiming Our Names' 13News Now documentary airs on Juneteenth

'Reclaiming Our Names' 13News Now documentary airs on Juneteenth "Roach" is 13News Now anchor Janet Roach's maiden and married name. She's discovering very interesting genealogical twists and turns in her family.

Thank you to everyone who made the Juneteenth celebration at William & Mary a great event! Thank you also for coming by the Lemon Project table and talking to Sarah!

‘The bodies have expired, the dreams haven’t;’ This Staten Island cemetery could earn NYC landmark status

‘The bodies have expired, the dreams haven’t;’ This S.I. cemetery could earn NYC landmark status 'There was a lot of grandeur here, especially in those years when we first opened.'

Suffolk to transfer 71 acres of land to Nansemond Indian Nation, settling years of debate

Suffolk to transfer 71 acres of land to Nansemond Indian Nation, settling years of debate Mattanock Town is home to the tribe’s headquarters and annual powwow celebration.

She Just Earned Her Doctorate at 17. Now, She’ll Go to the Prom.

She Just Earned Her Doctorate at 17. Now, She’ll Go to the Prom. Dorothy Jean Tillman II of Chicago made history as the youngest person to earn a doctoral degree in integrated behavioral health at Arizona State University.

A Black rising star lost his elite orchestra job. He won’t go quietly.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2024/05/24/josh-jones-kansas-city-symphony/