Skip to main content

1856 in the News


graphic of text that shows The 1856 Project logo x The Mellon Foundation logo

The University of Maryland’s 1856 Project, part of the Universities Studying Slavery consortium, has been awarded a generous $200,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation Public Knowledge program to establish a two-year research incubator program that will investigate the legacy of slavery at the university and document histories of enslaved individuals, ensuring their stories and contributions are recognized, honored and… Continue


Categories: 1856 in the News

1856 Project co-chair Lae'l Hughes-Watkins speaks while a news caption reads "1856 PROJECT REVEALS UMD'S TIES TO SLAVERY"

By Dominique Moody, News4

A research project reveals the University of Maryland’s ties to slavery. News4’s Dominique Moody reports on its findings and the school’s connection to historic communities in College Park. Watch video


Categories: 1856 in the News

the entrance to McKeldin Library on UMD's College Park campus

By John-John Williams IV, The Baltimore Banner

A new report shows that the slave economy was deeply entrenched in the origins of the University of Maryland, College Park, including enslaved people living and working on land that forms a large section of the current campus...… Continue


Categories: 1856 in the News

By Jimmy Alexander, WTOP News

A new report examining the University of Maryland’s historical ties to slavery has connected multiple enslavers to the school’s founding. The first research report from the “1856 Project” shows the school’s link to slavery started with the state’s founder...Read More… Continue


Categories: 1856 in the News

cover page for first research report, titled, "Reconstructing the Truth;" imagery includes a black and white photo of a cabin in front of a green background depicting a map of the land in and around PG county

By Lilly Price, The Baltimore Sun

The University of Maryland, College Park this month published a research report on the institution’s connections to slavery, detailing how founder Charles B. Calvert was a descendant of enslavers and owned at least 55 slaves who worked on his Riverside plantation, land that makes up part of UMD’s campus...… Continue


Categories: 1856 in the News

black and white photo of a cabin formerly located on campus properly that probably served as a dwelling for enslaved laborers

By Liann Herder, Diverse: Issues In Higher Education

The University of Maryland's (UMD) The 1856 Project has released its first report covering the history of their institution and its intersection with slavery, Reconstructing the Truth. Its goal, stated in the report, is to become a “blue print for a richer understanding of generations of racialized trauma rooted in the institution”...… Continue


Categories: 1856 in the News

a cover of the 1856 Project Research Report, featuring a black and white cabin on a green background beneath the words "Reconstructing the Truth"; a photo of Lae'l Hughes-Watkins, co-chair of the 1856 Project

By Razak Diallo, The Black Explosion

The 1856 Project held its first annual research update on Feb. 7. The first part of the report, “Reconstructing the Truth,” details the University of Maryland’s connection to slavery and local African American communities...Read More


Categories: 1856 in the News

black and white photo of a cabin formerly located on campus properly that probably served as a dwelling for enslaved laborers

By Jackson Hawkins, Stories Beneath the Shell

On Feb. 7, the 1856 Project conducted their first annual research update findings in a report presentation that took place in the special events room in McKeldin Library...Read More


Categories: 1856 in the News

black and white photo of a cabin formerly located on campus properly that probably served as a dwelling for enslaved laborers

By Maryland Today Staff, Maryland Today

A new report from The 1856 Project at the University of Maryland explores the story of an enslaved family that could have lived where the Xfinity Center stands today, as well as the Rossborough Inn’s potential ties to the Underground Railroad...Read More


Categories: 1856 in the News

worm's eye view of the Frederick Douglass statue in front of Hornbake Library on UMD's College Park campus

By Sumaya Abdel-Motagaly, The Diamondback

The University of Maryland used to serve as a shelter for runaway slaves and profited from the finances of slave owners, according to the findings of the 1856 Project presented at its first annual research update on Wednesday...Read More

 


Categories: 1856 in the News

Subscribe to 1856 in the News