“The Black Man’s Cow, But the White Man’s Milk”: The Rise and Fall of the Freedman’s Bank

Many people within the Gullah Geechee community are familiar with the records of the Freedman’s Bank. For the descendants of enslaved people, these records are some of the most important documents for unlocking family history. But what exactly was the Freedman’s Bank?

Established by Congress in March of 1865, the Freedman’s Bank was intended to create financial stability for the Black community. However, when it collapsed less than a decade later, Frederick Douglass described it as “The Black man’s cow, but the white man’s milk.”

On Wednesday, April 6, 2022 at 6pm, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, in partnership with Second Founding of America and Reconstruction Era National Historical Park, will present a free, 1-hr presentation by park ranger Chris Barr, on the history and legacy of the Freedman’s Bank. This program will take place at the Second Founding of American Learning Center at 913 West Street in Beaufort SC. For those unable to attend in person, the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor will be livestreaming the presentation. To register for the livestream via Zoom, visit https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkc-Ghpj4pEtGFbevd8LMR5XHVpDTzdukA
or contact info@gullahgeecheecorridor.org