"Whispers from the Dust: the Freedmen Records and African American Family History" is our highly acclaimed and free-of-charge presentation to educate the community. We are pleased to make it available to interested organizations in the greater Richmond area and beyond, a captivating presentation that tells the story of two historically significant institutions and their records.

“Whispers from the Dust” provides a moving account of the Freedman’s Bank and the Freedmen’s Bureau, both of which assisted over four million slaves and Black soldiers as they transitioned to freedom at the end of the Civil War. The presentation tells how their records, long stored in the National Archives and Records Administration in Washington, D.C., are emerging as invaluable new resources for African American family history research.

Our goal is to encourage and strengthen families, particularly those within the African American community, to discover their genealogy and family history. The presentation is intended for all people regardless of ethnicity or faith.

You can view a few of our previous presentation slides by clicking here.