NEWS
The Nellie Ashford Project
Join us to hear the story of a family reckoning with familial ties to slavery at Davidson.
You can attend in-person or virtually after registration.
In the Spring of 2017, Ebony Hill, a student of Johnson C. Smith University in the class of 2017, and Grace Woodward, a student of Davidson College in the class of 2018, embarked on a research project to explore the genealogy of their families.
They uncovered a remarkable truth.
Ebony Hill is a direct descendant of “Robert,” a brother of two individuals enslaved by members of the Davidson family. Grace Woodward is a direct descendant of Major John Davidson, a member of the Davidson family. They detailed the story in a research paper published in Dr. Joseph Ewoodzie’s Sociology 440 course.
The Nellie Ashford Project: Reckoning with Ties to Slavery at Davidson College will resurface the story through the visual lens of Charlotte artist Nellie Ashford, Ebony Hill’s mother, and reckon with the contemporary implications of the institution of slavery: for the families, for Davidson College, for all.
This event is made possible by the Stories Yet to be Told: Race, Racism, and Accountability initiative at Davidson College & the Bacca Foundation Visiting Scholar and Artist Program.