Children of the Promised Land

Presented by Angela Bates.  Nicodemus, a small, unincorporated town in Graham County, is the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War. Today the town is a National Historic Site. This pictorial history explores the unique experience of mothers and their children in Nicodemus, some of whom were the first members of their families born free. This discussion will explore the dynamics of child-rearing during and after slavery, stories of children conceived in slavery but born free, and how baby names were changed or used to reflect attitudes about free-born children.

Sponsored by: Heritage Associates of Jennings, Inc.

Funded project of Humanities Kansas, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.