"A Platform Connecting the Spokes on the Wheel of History of Enslaved People and Descendants"
Copyright Lloyd Family Trust
About us
The Enslaved Legacy History Coalition was born out of a family history. In 2021, the Lloyd family was contacted by Carissa Chen, a Harvard undergraduate working with the Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery project. Research done in conjunction with the Longfellow House National Historic Site was investigating the seven known people to have been enslaved at the site – Cuba, Dinah, Malcolm, William, James, and two “small boys." The Project uncovered the lineage of Darby Vassall, youngest child of Cuba and a major figure the early Black Bostonian community. Carissa reached out to the Lloyds in hopes of finding Darby's lost connection today, and with the family history that they had been collecting for centuries, the Lloyds were able to close the gaps in their records and confirm that they are in fact Darby Vassall descendants. This historic connection sparked the formation of the Coalition and inspired official partnerships with The Royall House, Harvard University, and the Longfellow House.
The Coalition was established to facilitate more moments and stories like this, to connect the descendants of the enslaved to the vast but disparate repositories on enslavement. We have partnered with an ever-growing list of historical and academic associations across New England to connect their efforts on interpreting this under-studied field and provide a centralized site for general audiences to learn more.
These goals have built into a platform that can be used and approached not just by descendants, but by all – both to connect a personal history and to learn more about the physical and societal structures that remain as a legacy of slavery throughout New England. Since our establishment in the fall of 2021, the Coalition has developed engaging educational programming and monthly virtual gatherings to connect local organizations that are engaged in documenting the histories tied to slavery and Black New Englanders. We have created a much-needed space in the community to discuss the embedded legacy of slavery throughout the region.
