Black History Month: The ‘Enduring Connections’ project
SALISBURY, Md.- “There’s so much history that people need to know. There’s so much history of black people and black women that people need to know,” Barrie said.
That history is being uncovered within the walls of the Edward H. Nabb Research Center at Salisbury University through the Enduring Connections: Exploring Delmarva’s Black History project. The project’s goal is to gather historical records documenting the lives of black residents on the lower Eastern Shore.
Archivist Ian Post said community researchers and volunteers are helping identify and transcribe records that are then put into a database to make that information more accessible. “By pulling on these different threads and identifying those connections, those stories become pretty clear and compelling,” Post said.
That database currently holds more than 149,000 records across 125 sources.
Post said expanding access will hopefully lead the public to make connections to their own roots and communities right here on Delmarva. “One thing I learned recently was about James Baldwin’s mother being born on Deal Island. That came out in a book recently. Then we know about Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglas, and Charles Albert Tindley. All of these people have roots in the Chesapeake,” Post said.
The project has also become a platform for students to get research experience and even launch their careers through the Robert F. Smith Internship Program at the National Museum of African American History & Culture. “This is definitely the work I think I’ve been put in the world to do. It’s just the burden of knowing that weight of how much has happened and how that leads us to the present,” Former Intern Abdeena Barrie said.
Many of the stories these researchers have uncovered are very personal, some even ending tragically. Yet, they told us that history is still history. “These are families being torn apart. Black people being traumatized, trafficked, and enslaved. At the same time, there’s the gratification that someone’s going to know their name,” Barrie said.
“Hopefully with people making their own personal discoveries and connections, we can help uplift those stories and make them known to more people because they matter,” Post said.
To uncover more on the research happening or dive into some of stories from the Enduring Connections project, click here
Findings will also be incorporated into coursework for students. If you’d like to volunteer with the project, you can email the Nabb Center at impost@salisbury.edu
