Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn

to
Center for Brooklyn History, Lobby Gallery

How did the institution of slavery build the Brooklyn we know today?

An image of an oval watercolor painting by James Ryder Van Brunt

[Homestead of Cornelius Van Brunt], 1859 
James Ryder Van Brunt, artist 
Watercolor and gouache on paper
Center for Brooklyn History 

The exhibition Trace/s examines the history of slavery in Brooklyn through a combination of artwork, historical records and celebration of today's Black genealogy researchers.

While there are few firsthand testimonies from enslaved people in Brooklyn, researching the special collections at the Center for Brooklyn History offers clues to what they endured. By engaging these primary source materials, Trace/s challenges us to reckon with slavery’s impact on our borough and its people. The exhibition also celebrates the family genealogy researchers who dedicate themselves to untangling the past, honoring ancestors, building community, and enriching our collective understanding of the present.

In support of this exhibition, the Center for Brooklyn History will be offering free programs to deepen engagement with the history and themes in this exhibition, from family history research workshops to film screenings on the topic of reparations, to panel conversations that invite us to continue the conversation.

Audio: "Finding Trace/s"

"Finding Trace/s" is a companion podcast to the Center for Brooklyn History's exhibition Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn. Brooklyn-based podcast producer Ula Kulpa takes listeners behind the scenes of the making of the exhibition, using oral history excerpts, interviews with the exhibition's curators, and deep dives into the primary sources that reveal the story of slavery's impact on the borough of Brooklyn. Whether you can't make it in person to the Center for Brooklyn History, want to prepare beforehand, or want to keep learning after your visit, consider "Finding Trace/s" your immersive guide to the exhibition, from wherever you are!

"Finding Trace/s" is made possible through an internship partnership with NYU's History Department and their Archives and Public History Master's program. Special thanks to Program Director Ellen Noonan, and the podcast team at the Brooklyn Public Library for their support.

Trace/s is supported as part of the Dutch Culture USA FUTURE 400 program by the Consulate General of the Netherlands in New York, and by the Alvin and Fanny B. Thalheimer Foundation in memory of Bill Coleman.

The Center for Brooklyn History would like to thank the following for their contributions to this exhibition: The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Jean Sampson Scott Greater New York Chapter, Stacey Bell, Trace/s design team Thiago Eichner and Shrenik Ganatra, Alice Griffin, the family of Gus Harris, Jr., Lynne Huggins Smith, Mildred Jones, Muriel Roberts, Nihil Solomon, Rusty Zimmerman, and the staff of the Center for Brooklyn History.

Dutch Culture USA Future 400 logo

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Jul 11 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Jul 18 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Jul 25 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Sat, Jul 26 2:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

11606_cp_traces_exhibition_coe_1_edited.jpg
Genealogy Workshop: Researching Your…

Tue, Jul 29 5:30pm
Macon, Dionne Mack-Harvin Heritage Center

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Aug 1 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Aug 8 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Aug 15 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

11606_cp_traces_exhibition_coe_1_edited.jpg
Genealogy Workshop: Researching Your…

Thu, Aug 21 2:00pm
New Lots Library

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Aug 22 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Sat, Aug 23 2:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History

An oil portrait of Mildred Jones is pictured, in front of the image of archival documents. The exhibition title "Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn" appears at the top.
Trace/s Exhibition Tour

Fri, Aug 29 3:00pm
Center for Brooklyn History