Back for 2024, this three-day Black Family History Lab is the latest edition of “Memories Matter,” reimagined as a weekend-long community history gathering. The Lab invites local residents to connect with family history experts on how to best save family treasures (i.e. photographs, letters, books, quilts, stories, and more), sit for professional family portraits, attend genealogy and oral history workshops, and find out what community groups are doing to tell local stories—all free of charge. An event by the Getting Word African American Oral History Project in collaboration with The Jefferson School African American Heritage Center and over twenty local history organizations and preservation specialists.
Program Highlights:
Friday 3/15/2024
6:00PM – 8:30PM
6:00PM – 8:30PM
Free screening of “Our Founding Chefs” episode of the acclaimed Netflix series, High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America, which discusses the impact of James Hemings, a renowned chef enslaved by Thomas Jefferson, on America’s palate. This screening will be followed by a panel discussion with the episode’s guest stars.
Saturday 3/16/2024
11:00AM – 4:00PM
11:00AM – 4:00PM
Stop by the Jefferson School auditorium to get expert opinions on how to best save your family treasures. Whether you need advice on preserving your family bible, converting your old home videos, or safely storing your archive of family photos, we have an expert for you! Or, come looking sharp and sit for a free, first-come first-serve family portrait session with a professional photographer. Genealogy and Oral History workshops will also be offered throughout the day.
Sunday 3/17/2024
11:00AM – 4:00PM
11:00AM – 4:00PM
Additional family portrait sessions and Oral History workshops offered.
