Demonstration of African Origins Site on Tap

Nov. 5, 2010

Team members will show how public can help clarify names and regions

For more information:  Maureen McGavin: 404.727.6898, mmcgavi@emory.edu or Liz Milewicz: 404.713.9922, emilewi@emory.edu

Millions of Africans crossed the Atlantic over the four centuries of the slave trade. Yet little is known about who they were. In the records that tracked these voyages, most remain nameless.

The African Origins Project seeks to recover the identities of Africans sold into the trans-Atlantic slave trade. From registers of Africans liberated from slaving vessels in the early 19th century, rare descriptions of these individuals have emerged, including their African names. The goal is to piece together the ethno-linguistic history of Africans pulled into the slave trade, one name at a time, with assistance from Africans, members of the African diaspora, and scholars with knowledge of African languages, geography, and cultural naming practices.

Join Woodruff Professor of History David Eltis at a demonstration and discussion of the African Origins project and website. Eltis and team members Liz Milewicz (project manager) and Nafees Khan (diaspora liaison) will talk and answer questions about the historical documents and the technology that make this project possible.

Wednesday, Nov. 10, 5-7 p.m.
Woodruff Library, Level 2
540 Asbury Cir., Atlanta, GA 30322

This event is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Fishburne Deck; visit http://arts.emory.edu/village/map.html for directions.

The African Origins Project gratefully acknowledges support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research, Emory University’s Research Collaboration in the Humanities Program and Emory Libraries.

# # #

The Emory University Libraries (http://web.library.emory.edu/) in Atlanta and Oxford, Ga., are an intellectual commons for Emory University, Atlanta and the world. The nine libraries’ holdings include more than 3.4 million print and electronic volumes, 56,000-plus electronic journals, and internationally renowned special collections.

Emory University (http://www.emory.edu) is known for its demanding academics, outstanding undergraduate experience, highly ranked professional schools and state-of-the-art research facilities. Perennially ranked as one of the country’s top 20 national universities by U.S. News & World Report, Emory encompasses nine academic divisions as well as the Carlos Museum, The Carter Center, the Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Emory Healthcare, Georgia’s largest and most comprehensive health care system.