Share Your Family Photos and the Stories Behind Them

The Takeaway

Share Your Family Photos and the Stories Behind Them

Tuesday, March 01, 2011 - 12:55 PM

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Dennis Burroughs and his mother and brother, circa 1958 (Dennis Burroughs)

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- On Air: Interview with the project creator and a participant

Tomorrow, we talk to the founder of a multimedia project, which asks people with African ancestry to submit photos from their family archives, along with the stories behind them, as a way to uncover and share history. It's called the Digital Diaspora Family Reunion (DDFR) and its goal is to assemble a more complete picture of African American life, as well as American life in general.

We're asking you to do the same. Whether your African American or not, reach into your family photo album and send us a photo that tells a story of your family history. You can scan it in and send it here — or if you have an iPhone, you can use our app and just snap a photo of it. See the photos you've been sending us.

The DDFR is the brainchild of Thomas Allen Harris, a documentary filmmaker, who joins us on Wednesday to talk about the project.

In the meantime, see these photos (below) from Bernice Alexander Bennett, who participated in the project.

Mattie Kemp Alexander

This is a picture of my grandmother Mattie Kemp Alexander taken in 1912 in Greenwood County, South Carolina. I never knew Mattie because she passed away in 1832, yet my father had several pictures of his mother to share with the family. I ventured on a journey in 2004 to find my South Carolina Kin and found Mattie's brothers children. In addition, I was successful in going all of the way back to slavery and met the slave owners descendant of my great great grandfather Andrew Kemp. — Bernice Alexander Bennett

Peter Moses Clark

This is a picture of my maternal great-father who was born in Louisiana in 1855; this picture was taken around 1905. My ggreat grandfather acquired 159.33 acres of land under the Homestead Act of 1862 in Livingston Parish, La. — Bernice Alexander Bennett.

Philip Alexander and Parents

This picture was taken around 1920 and is the only picture my father (a small boy) had with his mother and father. This is Mattie Kemp, the same woman in the 1912 portrait. —Bernice Alexander Bennett

Newly Found Family

This is a picture of my newly found cousins and the slave owner descendant. Janice Woods in the colorful shirt is my twin sister; next to Janice is Dr. Constance McNeil - the slave owner's descendant; next to Connie is Joyce Robinson and Sheryl Bailey - my newly discovered cousins; I am next in line in the white shirt and standing next to me is John Ebo (deceased) another newly discovered cousin. This picture was taken at the Tompkins Library - the home of the Old Edgefield Historical and Genealogical Society, and Connie is the President of the South Carolina Genealogical and Historical Society. —Bernice Alexander Bennett

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Comments [3]

Lady D from Michigan

I will share photo's of Joe Louis who is family on my mother in law side. In fact he was her first cousin.

May. 17 2011 07:31 PM

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Bernice Bennett from Silver Spring, Maryland

Correction:

Mattie Kemp Alexander passed away at the age of 32 in 1928.

Mar. 04 2011 07:19 AM

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Julie

I believe the first photo description contains a typo, otherwise her grandmother's corpse must have been very well preserved...

Mar. 02 2011 11:52 AM

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