On March 3, 2015, Operation HOPE Forums and the Afro-American History Society of the National Archives (AAHS) will recognize the 150th anniversary of the Freedman’s Bank. Established on March 3, 1865, by President Abraham Lincoln, the Bank was a landmark institution that had over $57 million in deposits and 70,000 depositors. The Bank’s records remain the single largest repository of lineage-linked African-American genealogy, containing upwards of 480,000 names.
Members of AAHS will present Freedman’s Bank records at the National Archives, and there will be a moderated discussion with Operation HOPE Founder John Hope Bryant, Ambassador Andrew Young, ESSENCE Magazine Editor-In-Chief Vanessa DeLuca, and other dignitaries on the historical significance of the Bank and how its unfinished journey still resonates today in issues of poverty, income inequality, and race relations. A reception will follow.
The event is free and open to the public, register online.
