Fall speaker series: The Bray School

The Bray School Lab, a ground-breaking and innovative partnership between the College of William & Mary and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, uncovers, documents, preserves and shares broadly the history and legacies of the Williamsburg Bray School that educated hundreds of enslaved and free Black children from 1760 to 1774. The Lab aspires to transform traditional accounts of America’s history into a multi-layered story that centers Black legacy at the heart of U.S. democracy. We’ll learn more about the genealogical detective work being done on behalf of the Williamsburg Bray School, one of the earliest institutions dedicated to Black education in North America. Both free and enslaved students attended the school and the search for their descendants is ongoing. Elizabeth Drembus, genealogist with the William & Mary Bray School Lab, is leading efforts to identify and document – from the 18th through 21st centuries – the genealogical lines of all known Williamsburg Bray School students. She will present an overview of the project and offer attendees a two-page list of names of children who attended the school.

This is the second event of our fall series, which is free to attend and open to the public.