About 10 Million Names
We believe everyone should have access to information that allows them to discover their family history and pass it down to future generations. Through genealogical research, the 10 Million Names Project proposes to recover the names of the ten million people enslaved in America and restore those names to their families and to history.
In the last several decades, large historic datasets about African Americans have begun to be digitized and made available to scholars and individual researchers. 10 Million Names will amplify, supplement, and support the documentation of family stories and oral histories.
We aim to amplify the voices of people who have been telling their family stories for centuries, to connect researchers and data partners with people seeking answers to family history questions, and to expand access to data, resources, and information about enslaved African Americans.
People want to know where they came from. Knowing how one’s personal family story connects to history is powerful. Knowing the names, origins, and life stories of one’s ancestors can be life changing. The genealogical databases of the 10 Million Names project will coalesce to form a research asset of unparalleled national importance. This national treasure will support academic and non-profit research for generations to come.