Antoinette Harrell facts for kids

Antoinette Harrell (born around 1960) is an American historian and expert in family history. She is also a civil rights activist. She is well-known for her important research. This research focuses on how African Americans were treated after slavery ended in the southern United States. Many were forced into a system called peonage, which was like a new form of slavery.

Antoinette Harrell's Work

Antoinette Harrell's work often involves tracing the family trees of African-American families. These families lived in the southern United States. After slavery, many faced unfair local and state laws. These laws were called Black Codes. They allowed white people to keep control over African Americans. This control was often very similar to the conditions of chattel slavery.

Starting Her Research

Harrell began her local family history research in Louisiana around 1994. She started by looking into her own family's past as enslaved people. She then began giving talks about what she found. A woman named Mae Louise Miller approached her. Mae Louise Miller shared her story of being held in a form of slavery in Mississippi until recently.

Sharing Untold Stories

Mae Louise Miller's life story became known because she talked to Harrell. Harrell shared this story in a short film. It was called The Untold Story: Slavery in the 20th Century (2009). Harrell helped produce this film. Harrell has gathered many stories. These stories show that conditions like this continued through the 1900s. Some people were trapped in debt bondage even into the 1970s. One example was a family held on a modern-day farm in Killona, Louisiana.

How She Finds Information

As a family historian, Harrell does a lot of research. She interviews living family members and descendants of people. These are people who were part of these debt bondage systems in the 20th century. She also looks at old documents. These include property records, census information, and records from local libraries. She even uses records from the National Archives in Washington, D.C.

Fighting for Justice

Harrell has been involved in legal cases. These cases are about the history of slavery and forced debt bondage for African Americans. One case was a large lawsuit. It was brought by people from Louisiana. They sued companies that had benefited from slavery in the past. These companies included Aetna Insurance, CSX Railroad, and Lloyd's of London. Most of these companies were involved in insurance or transportation. They were accused of insuring, transporting, or owning enslaved people.

Sharing Her Discoveries

Materials collected by Harrell are kept in special collections. These include photographs and recorded stories. They are stored at Southeastern Louisiana University. Her research is also kept at the Amistad Research Center. This center is at Tulane University in New Orleans.

Harrell has shared her research in many ways. She has written books and articles for Louisiana media. These include The Drum and Jozef Syndicate La. She also had a local TV show called Knowing Your Family History. She hosts a weekly online discussion called Nurturing Our Roots. She has even hosted Youth Genealogy Camps. At these camps, students learn to trace their own family histories. They use the same methods that Harrell uses in her research.