The Texas Freedom Colonies Project

Preserving Texas’ African American heritage since 2014 What are Texas Freedom Colonies?

From 1865-1930, African Americans accumulated land and founded an estimated 557 historic black settlements or freedom colonies in Texas. Since their founding, freedom colony descendants have dispersed, and hundreds of settlements’ statuses and locations are unknown. While known by several different names (freedmen’s settlements, Black pockets, freedmen’s towns) and existing in urban, rural, exurba

n, and suburban spaces, freedom colonies all confront similar challenges. Gentrification, cultural erasure, natural disasters, urban renewal, and land dispossession have contributed to their decline. Freedom colony descendants’ lack of access to technical assistance, ecological and economic vulnerability, and invisibility in public records have quickened the disappearance of these historic Texas communities. What is The Texas Freedom Colonies Project? ™
Founded by Dr. Andrea Roberts in 2014, The Texas Freedom Colonies Project™ is a research, educational, and social justice initiative dedicated to preserving the spaces within and heritage of Texas’ historic African American settlements. In partnership with descendant communities, we aim to prevent cultural property erasure, destruction, and decay within settlements. Cultural properties include homes/farmsteads, churches, schools, lodges, and cemeteries. We are researchers and volunteers who map disappearing places and co-create resilience strategies with endangered communities. To support freedom colonies’ community resilience, the Project Team, operating virtually and physically at Texas A&M University and the University of Virginia (Fall 2022), leverages Roberts’ Place Preservation Framework -- connecting, collecting, and co-creating solutions. The Project

1) Connects: Hosts and maintains an interactive, publicly accessible Atlas & database of freedom colony heritage, including GIS layers indicating development and ecological threats. Creates events and educational workshops for descendant connection and community building
2) Collects: Ethically records and safeguards stories and materials associated with freedom colonies, and
3) Co-Creates: Identifies resources for and co-develops community resilience strategies and policies with freedom colony descendants using engaged, applied research

The Project engages in several public-facing initiatives that protect endangered African American history, educate the public, and yield valuable research. Our work leverages social media, digital humanities platforms, GIS analysis, archival research, and engaged ethnography, including oral histories, to achieve our aims. Team members create peer-reviewed scholarship, develop project-based learning for students, author reports, and provide evidence-based support to grassroots and public preservation groups and agencies. Along with the Atlas, they made freedom colonies more visible to those who could influence their chances of survival. Team leadership provides specialized training on cultural resource surveying and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in historic preservation to nonprofits, foundations, and government agencies.

·
Contact Founder, Andrea Roberts to learn more about serving as an advisor, volunteer, or collaborator to the Project at:
http://www.thetexasfreedomcoloniesproject.com
or
http://andrearobertsphd.com/contact/

The Texas Freedom Colonies Project™
[email protected]

Dr. Andrea Roberts
University of Virginia
Campbell Hall PO Box 400122
Charlottesville, VA 22904
UVA IRB-SBS # 5460
TAMU IRB IRB2018-0147M (through 04/10/2023)

08/03/2026

Media Announcement:

History was erased. The story wasn't.

We're honored that Quakertown USA was selected to launch Visions For Change's new REEL CONVERSATIONS film series.

Join us Saturday, August 1, for this free screening and filmmaker Q&A.

🎟 Reserve your free seat:
https://forms.gle/KEdiwoxoKfpLGqaL8

07/27/2026

Home | Mosier Valley Historic Community Mosier Valley Property Owners Association, Ancestors Cemetery, Redevelopment Organization, Preserving Texas History, First Freedmen's Community

07/17/2026

It's Friday...Freedmen's Friday? What is in the complementary "microfilms" to the Bureau as listed in the Descriptive Pamphlet? We are going to check them out tonight!

07/17/2026

07/11/2026

Join us as we celebrate 100 years of the Gregory School, Houston's first public school for African American students, originally built in 1926. From educating generations of Black Houstonians to preserving stories that continue to shape our city, the Gregory School remains a cornerstone of Houston's history.

Experience an afternoon of celebration featuring:
🎬 A historic film screening
📖 Live storytelling with Alexus Rhone
🏫 A curated Gregory School history exhibit
🧠 Trivia & games
📦 A community time capsule honoring 100 years of legacy

📅 July 11 | 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 African American History Research Center at the Gregory School
1300 Victor Street, Houston, TX

Come celebrate in historic Freedmen's Town, where Houston's Black history lives on. We can't wait to celebrate this milestone with you!

Learn more at the link in our bio or visit houstonlibrary.org/aahrc.

07/10/2026

Join us on July 25 at Oatlands-National Trust Site for Seeing Our Humanity, the signature event of the America 250: Justice for All series, featuring Academy Award-nominated actor and humanitarian Djimon Hounsou and Brent Leggs in his first public speaking engagement as president and CEO of the National Trust.

Bringing together descendants, scholars, musicians, preservationists, and community members, this special afternoon invites reflection, dialogue, and connection through conversations on memory, memorialization, reconciliation, and our shared future. The program also includes a performance by Washington Revels ensemble Jubilee Voices.

Presented as part of America 250: Justice for All, a descendant-centered series led by four National Trust Historic Sites in Virginia, Seeing Our Humanity commemorates the nation’s 250th anniversary by engaging with histories of enslavement and the ongoing work of telling a fuller American story.

Admission is free with advance registration. Learn more and reserve your seat: https://ow.ly/syru50ZlikI

Djimon Hounsou Foundation

07/02/2026

Join us July 25th in City of Austin Government at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center for our symposium, Visibilizing a Freedom Fighter, Silvia Hector Webber!

Featuring keynote speaker Dr. Cheryl LaRoche

Register for your free seat now!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/visibilizing-a-freedom-fighter-silvia-hector-webber-a-legacy-of-resistance-tickets-1992774050830?aff=oddtdtcreator

Thanks to a grant awarded by Mellon Foundation and support from our sponsors:
City of Austin, Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center, League of United Latin Americans, Academia Cuauhtli, and Tejano Genealogy Society of Austin!

Photos from The Texas Freedom Colonies Project's post

06/30/2026

Sometimes tending the work means tending the people who carry it.

After a full season of building, planning, and supporting communities behind the scenes, our team will be working at reduced hours throughout July. This is our time to pause, reflect, restore, and return with renewed energy.

Thank you for giving us the space to rest. We'll see you in August as we begin introducing the newest OPI grantee projects.

While we're away, swipe to the next slides for ways to stay connected with the work. 🌱

Important Links -

‼️For time sensitive matters, email us at:
[email protected]

Resources -

📧 Email
[email protected]

🌐 Website
thetexasfreedomcoloniesproject.com

🗺️ Explore the Atlas thetexasfreedomcoloniesproject.com/atlas

🎥 YouTube
-UVA

📸 Instagram
@ texas_freedom_colonies
@ outsiderpreservation
@ ccl.uva

📱 Facebook
@ The Texas Freedom Colonies Project
@ Outsider Preservation
@ Center for Cultural Landscapes

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http://www.thetexasfreedomcoloniesproject.com/, https://linktr.ee/texas_freedom_colonies

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Campbell Hall PO Box 400122
Charlottesville, VA
22904

The Texas Freedom Colonies Project

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