Black Homesteaders of Louisiana Panel Discussion - Session 2
Channel: Archives NOLAlibrary
Date: 2023-03-30

This is our March 18th panel with Bernice Bennett, author of “Black Homesteaders of the South”, and four descendants of Black Louisiana homesteaders: Dr. Antoinette Harrell, Dr. Dolores Mercedes Franklin, Dr. Rex Holiday, and Mrs. Crystal WIlliams-Jackson. Our panelists tell us how they discovered their homesteading ancestors, and discuss their experiences with the audience. For more about our panelists, please visit our blog here: https://nolalibrary.org/2023/03/16/louisiana-black-homesteaders/

The online resources used for much of the research are as follows:
Bureau of Land Management Government Land Office: https://glorecords.blm.gov/
National Archives: https://www.archives.gov/
National Parks Service's Black Homesteading in America: https://www.nps.gov/home/black-homesteading-in-america.htm
HistoryGeo (paid): https://historygeo.com/

The Homestead Act of 1862, the Emancipation Proclamation, and subsequent Reconstruction amendments didn’t just abolish slavery—they gave African Americans a chance to earn a living and own land. For many of these Black pioneers, this meant risking their lives to achieve this American promise of freedom. Author Bernice Alexander Bennett sets out to change the narrative about the largely unknown Black homesteaders in the South. In her new book Black Homesteaders of the South, the descendants of Black Homesteaders of Louisiana share nineteen stories representing nine parishes: Ascension, Bossier, Claiborne, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Livingston, St. Helena, Washington, and West Feliciana. 

Bernice Alexander Bennett is an award-winning author, genealogist, nationally recognized guest speaker, storyteller, and producer-host of the popular "Research at the National Archives and Beyond" BlogTalkRadio program. She is also the first recipient of the Ida B. Wells Service Award, given by the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage, for her dedication to broadcast stories about enslaved and indentured ancestors of African descent. She also received the Elizabeth Clark-Lewis Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) Genealogy Award in 2019 for original research in support of African American genealogy. Bennett is a volunteer with the Homestead National Historical Park Service and has devoted her grass-roots skills to identifying and encouraging descendants of Black homesteaders to share their stories. 

Sponsored by the Friends of New Orleans Public Library