Dr. Anne Parsons, an Associate Professor in the Department of History, has received a new $17,000 grant from the NC Department of Cultural and Natural Resources for her proposal, Limits of Freedom. The grant is part of the America 250 NC program which aims to support statewide projects in 2026 which will commemorate and explore the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Parsons’s proposal is a collaboration with UNCG Libraries and community partners from the region.
The abstract for the Limits of Freedom proposal is below.
America 250 offers a chance for society to reflect not only on American independence in 1776, but also on how freedom was restricted for enslaved people during the nation’s early years. Limits of Freedom is an exhibit and educational resource sharing the stories of Black Americans in early U.S. history in North Carolina’s Piedmont. It documents the experiences of free and enslaved African American men, women, and children in Guilford and Rockingham Counties and how they shaped the development of the country. The project stems from a partnership between UNC Greensboro’s Digital Library on American Slavery (DLAS) and the History Department’s Museum Studies Program, which have worked together for many years to spotlight African American history in early America.
Limits of Freedom seeks to increase the public’s understanding of enslaved individuals by creating a community responsive historical project with three main outcomes for high school and college students, people over age 50, and the public. First, we will collate the research on slavery in the region in a LibGuide, an online resource intended to help the public locate sources about the history of slavery in the Piedmont. Second, we will develop a traveling exhibit to take to community centers, libraries, museums, and community colleges. The exhibit will teach about the limits around and struggles for freedom, featuring stories of individuals documented in the DLAS. Finally, we will create educational resources, such as lesson plans, available for use in high schools, community colleges, universities, and the exhibit host sites.
