339 Manumissions and beyond project
339 manumissions and beyond projectThe PROJECT
(Q)The 339 Manumission and Beyond Project is a reparative, spirit-led, genealogical search to uncover the lives and family trees of the 339 Africans who were granted their freedom by members of the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting Quakers, once it was decided that Quakers could not be enslavers.
This work begins in the Quaker archives of Haverford College, searching for information about the names and locations of these individuals as well as information about the kinds and amounts of support that may have been offered to support these newly freed Americans. Researchers will then move to county census records, birth and death records, church records, records of the abolitionist societies (who also provided support to newly freed people), historical societies, insurance companies, newspapers, and other resources with records from the time period of interest.
Howard University, A Historically Black College in Washington DC, will manage the research component via their Center for an Equitable Economy and Sustainable Society. The University will create a website for the 339 Manumissions and Beyond Project where information uncovered will be publicly available. Genealogical information will be collected in a standardized format to allow uploading to major genealogical organizations. Consequently, descendants are not limited to discovering about their ancestors solely through this project.
Donations to this fund are managed by a Fund Advisory Committee, a majority-Quaker, majority African-American group of individuals spread across the country. Members of the Fund Advisory Committee include Avis Wanda McClinton (Q), Dennis Gregg (Q), Wood Bouldin (Q), Rubye Braye (Q), Tina Lawson, Stephanie Leonard, Chester McCoy (Q), and Kathryn Mizuno (Q). Funds directed to Howard University will be restricted to the work described above.
This is a reparative project with the full recognition of the damage done to the enslaved Africans and the benefits gained by the Quaker enslavers. Restoring the descendants’ family histories is a small but important attempt to repair some of the damage.
Ways t0 Support The PROJECT
Annual Giving
ACH, Debit, or Credit Card
Make a one-time or recurring gift to The PROJECT using our online donation service.
Check
Make Check Payable to:
Friends Fiduciary Corporation
Mail to:
FFC
Attn: Mimi Blackwell
1700 Market Street
Suite 1535
Philadelphia, PA 19103
Questions? Email
Distribution from IRA
A Qualified Charitable Distribution is a direct transfer of funds from your IRA custodian, payable to a qualified charity. A QCD excludes the amount donated from taxable income.
Contact Mimi Blackwell at FFC (email) for further information before making a QCD.
Donor Advised Funds
Have a Donor Advised Fund?
You can donate to The PROJECT using your DAF. Contact Mimi Blackwell at FFC (email) for further information before recommending a grant.
Set up a Donor Advised Fund at Friends Fiduciary.
Securities
To gift publicly-traded securities contact
Tim McElroy at FFC
by email or phone
215. 241.7272.
Donating appreciated securities directly to a charitable organization often increases the amount you are able to give by avoiding capital gain taxes.
Legacy Giving
You do not need to be wealthy in order to make a meaningful planned gift. Most people have the immediate capacity to create a legacy gift.
Many deferred giving options allow you to purposefully support the future needs and vitality of the 339 Manumissions and Beyond Project with little or no impact on your current income. Some planned gifts can even provide additional income.
Gifts that cost nothing now:
- Bequest
- Beneficiary Designation
