The Work

We start where the records thin out: a trunk of letters, a name in a ledger, a photograph nobody can identify anymore. Then we follow the thread. Working with photographers, filmmakers, archivists, and the families themselves, we turn what a family kept into a story anyone can see.

Collaboration

Our work runs on collaboration. Families open their trunks and their memories. Photographers, filmmakers, archivists, librarians, and historians help us read what is there and find what is missing. Every piece we make is built with the people whose history it holds, not about them.

Ink Trails

Hossick Jefferson was born in Cheraw, South Carolina, in 1903 and lived nearly 101 years. His mother, Mary Jefferson, kept the family's letters and photographs in a trunk. Ink Trails opens that trunk and follows Hossick, his sister Carolyn, and their family through the Great Migration, one letter at a time.

The Family Archive Project

Your family's history might be sitting in a closet right now. Each year we take on a small number of families to preserve what they have and capture what they remember. We digitize letters, documents, and photographs, record an oral history with an elder, and produce a short documentary the family keeps. The materials stay theirs, and we share their story publicly only with their written permission. Families of every background are welcome. We will be straight with you about what a project costs, and we look for grant funding to carry as much of it as we can.

Impact

A record that leaves people out shapes what a country believes about itself. By finding these stories and putting them in front of an audience, we aim to fill in what was left blank, spark conversation, and give families proof of where they come from.

Bring Us Your Story

Have a look at what we have made so far, and tell us what your family has kept. Letters, photographs, documents, recordings: every one of them is a thread worth following. Use the contact form to reach us about the Family Archive Project.