Children of the Promised Land

Nicodemus, a small, unincorporated town in Graham County, KS, is the only remaining western town established by African-Americans during the Reconstruction Period following the Civil War. Today, the town is a National Historic Site. Angela Bates, executive director and past president of the Nicodemus Historical Society, will explore the dynamics of child-rearing during and after slavery, stories of children conceived in slavery but born free, and how baby names were changed or used to reflect attitudes about freeborn children. Bates explores the unique experience of mothers and their children in Nicodemus, some of whom were the first members of their families born free.