The Triangle Tribune told our story. Now help us build what comes next.

Durham, NC August 22, 2026

HELP US BUILD WHAT COMES NEXT

From Soul Train to Soul City to Reclaiming Our Legacy

The story of Black America is not only a story of what we survived. It is a story of what we built.

This August, the Triangle Tribune featured the Center for Freedmen Heritage & Records and our Reclaiming Our Legacy Initiative—our five-year effort to identify, document and reconnect 500 Freedmen descendant families.

The article brought new attention to something we have known from the beginning: preserving the records is only the first step. Descendants need access, research assistance, historical context and institutions committed to helping families reconnect the pieces.

That's why we built the Center.

Now we're asking our community to help us build what comes next.

OUR GOAL: $15,000

Over the next several weeks, we are raising $15,000 to strengthen the Center for Freedmen Heritage & Records and expand Reclaiming Our Legacy.

Your support helps provide genealogy research and family reconstruction, train community researchers and volunteers, maintain genealogy and digitization resources, support our family heritage database, expand workshops and community outreach, and sustain the physical Center where this work takes place.

And this campaign comes with a celebration.

SOUL TRAIN → SOUL CITY

What's Our Next Stop?

September 20, 2026

We're going back to an extraordinary era of Black music, culture, pride and self-determination.

Come dressed in your best 1970s style and celebrate the music and energy of Soul Train.

Then we'll pause the party to honor the energy that created Soul Train, fueled the soundtrack of Black Power, and inspired the community pride and self-determination that built Soul City, NC.

Now, 50 years later—what's our next stop?

For us, part of that answer is building institutions like the Center for Freedmen Heritage & Records.

Proceeds from Soul Train → Soul City support the Center and our Reclaiming Our Legacy Initiative.

THERE ARE FOUR WAYS TO HELP US REACH $15,000

BUY A TICKET.
Come celebrate with us September 20. Your ticket helps support the work of the Center.

MAKE A DONATION.
Can't attend? You can still help us document families, preserve records and build this institution.

BECOME A COMMUNITY PARTNER.
Businesses, organizations and individuals can support the campaign through sponsorship and partnership opportunities.

JOIN THE WORK.
Become a Friend of the Center and contribute your time, skills, relationships and expertise.

WHAT YOUR SUPPORT BUILDS

Family Research & Documentation
Genealogy research, family reconstruction, research assistance and access to genealogy resources.

Community Research Capacity
Training Friends of the Center, genealogists, researchers, enumerators, interns and volunteers.

Center & Technology Infrastructure
Digitization, technology, database development, research supplies and the physical space where families can access assistance.

Community Outreach & Programming
Genealogy workshops, descendant outreach, educational programming and the continued growth of Reclaiming Our Legacy.

500 FAMILIES. ONE LEGACY.

Our goal through Reclaiming Our Legacy is ambitious: identify and document 500 Freedmen families over five years.

Every family reconstructed adds another piece to our collective history.

Every record preserved protects something that might otherwise disappear.

Every Friend, donor, sponsor and ticket holder helps us build an institution capable of carrying this work forward.

The Triangle Tribune helped tell our story.

Now help us build what comes next.

GIVE. JOIN. CONNECT. CELEBRATE.

September 20 — we'll meet you on the Soul Train.

Durham, NC 2026

Opened on February 14, 2026, the Center for Freedmen Heritage & Records was created to do more than preserve history—we are building a permanent community institution where Black American families can document their lineage, reconnect generations, identify eligibility for historical and contemporary opportunities, and preserve records that might otherwise be lost. Every family we assist, every record we preserve, and every workshop we host strengthens our collective future.

This year, we launched the Reclaiming Our Legacy Genealogy Lab Pilot, the first phase of our long-term initiative to document 500 Freedmen descendant families over the next five years. Through free genealogy workshops, one-on-one research assistance, and community volunteer training, the pilot helps descendants access the Freedmen's Bureau records, build documented family histories, and reconnect with North Carolina's historic Freedmen communities.

Already, more than 50 families have begun their journey to reclaim their ancestry, preserve their family stories, and reconnect with generations once separated by slavery and time.

Like many community-based organizations, we have experienced a challenging grant environment. Building institutions that preserve Black American history requires sustained community investment, and securing long-term funding for this work remains one of our greatest challenges.

Your support helps us accomplish two essential goals:

Keep the Center open as a year-round community resource for genealogy, education, and historical preservation.
Expand the Reclaiming Our Legacy Genealogy Lab Pilot by training community genealogy volunteers, hosting workshops, assisting additional families, and growing the 500 Freedmen Family Census.

Our immediate fundraising goal is $60,000, with a minimum annual operating need of $30,000 to sustain the Center while expanding programs and direct services to families throughout our community.

If this work has inspired you, benefited your family, or reflects the future you want to help build, we invite you to stand with us today.

Please consider becoming a monthly supporter. A recurring gift of $10, $25, $50, or $100 each month provides dependable support that allows us to keep our doors open, expand genealogy services, train volunteers, and preserve family histories for future generations.

Every contribution—large or small—is an investment in preserving our heritage, restoring family connections, strengthening our community, and building an institution that will serve descendants for generations to come.

With gratitude,

Dawn Paige
President, Concerned Black American Citizens, Inc.
Center for Freedmen Heritage & Records

Soul Train → Soul City: Help Us Build What Comes Next

Reclaiming Our Legacy: Support the Center for Freedmen Heritage & Records

Friends of the Center