On May 22, 2026, history returns to the place where tangible freedom first broke open. The Emerging History of the American Contrabands is a two-day national symposium at Fort Monroe—the site where self-emancipated men and women forced the United States to confront the meaning of freedom during the Civil War.

This gathering brings together descendants, scholars, archivists, genealogists, and community historians to surface new research, restore names and stories long buried in the margins, and recenter the people whose actions reshaped the nation before laws and proclamations were even imagined.

This is not just a conference. It is a reckoning with origins. A reclamation of narrative. And a living conversation between past and present. The story is still unfolding, and you are invited to witness and be part of it.

Registration opens April 1, 2026. This event is free, open to the public, and will be livestreamed. Don’t miss it.