African American Family Documentation Initiative

From generation to generation, we pass along stories, letters, photo albums, mementos, journals. Our family histories give our lives meaning. Our family histories are also a part of the story of our state, the region, and the country.

The Southern Historical Collection in UNC’s Wilson Library invites you to participate in the African American Family Documentation Initiative. Help us tell all our stories.

Our Goals:

  • Acquire, preserve and make available archival collections about African American families
  • Engage the community through exhibits and programs
  • Define the role of family historian and share resources
  • Inspire families with how these materials are used by scholars, artists, writers, etc.

For more information on the initiative, please contact Chaitra Powell at 919-962-4342 or chaitra@email.unc.edu

Mary Louise Lewis (wife of WRAL broadcaster, J.D. Lewis) on a couch in her Raleigh, NC home with her five children in the early 1950s

Mary Louise Lewis (wife of WRAL broadcaster, J.D. Lewis) in her Raleigh, NC home with her five children (l-r) John D. Lewis III, Yvonne Lewis Holley, Leonard Lee Lewis, Patricia Lewis Waddell, and Evelyn Lewis, circa early 1950’s.