About Us
Our Organization
To ensure that the broken promises of Reconstruction are fulfilled for today’s American Freedmen.
Our Mission
The United Sons & Daughters of Freedmen is a heritage-based organization dedicated to preserving the legacy and advancing the interests of those who trace their ancestry to persons emancipated in the United States and officially recognized as Freedmen. Through rigorous genealogical research, historical preservation, and civic education, we seek to honor the resilience, contributions, and unbroken cultural identity of the Freedmen class. Our mission is to safeguard the memory of Freedmen communities, mark sites of historical significance, advocate for remedial justice, and cultivate a deeper public understanding of the Freedmen experience—before, during, and after the Reconstruction era. We support initiatives that promote self-determination, commemorate military and civic service, and strengthen intergenerational ties rooted in shared history, responsibility, and purpose.
Our Background and Accomplishments in the fight for Remedial Justice
About United Sons & Daughters of Freedmen (USDF)
United Sons & Daughters of Freedmen (USDF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of Georgia in May 2020. Governed by a six-member board of directors, USDF is dedicated to the education, organization, and advocacy for American Freedmen—the lineage group composed of the descendants of persons emancipated in the United States following chattel slavery.
Launching a National Movement from Georgia
From the outset, USDF has been at the forefront of reparations advocacy. On Juneteenth 2021, we hosted the first-ever reparations rally at the Georgia State Capitol in Atlanta, bringing unprecedented visibility to the cause in the South—the ancestral homeland of most American Freedmen.
Influencing Reparations Policy in California
USDF has been recognized nationally for its rigorous research and education around the Reconstruction era and Freedmen political status. Our work was cited during the early phases of California’s Reparations Task Force, directly influencing the body’s landmark decision to support lineage-based reparations over race-based standards. Working alongside the Coalition for a Just & Equitable California (CJEC), we helped define the term “American Freedmen”, which was formally included in California Senate Bill No. 189 for the purpose of disaggregated data collection.
Guiding Local Policy in North Carolina
Our knowledge and understanding of Freedmen as a status, was called upon three times by the One High Point Commission in High Point, North Carolina, where our testimony helped lead to a unanimous vote to base reparations eligibility on Freedmen ancestry, rejecting vague racial identifiers in favor of a lineage-specific standard.
Establishing Policy Precedent in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, USDF has hosted in-person and virtual workshops and has authored two pieces of state legislation designed to benefit American Freedmen. Bills H. 1696 and HD. 3879 were drafted by United Sons and Daughters of Freedmen.
Our outreach and education reached advocates in Cambridge contributed to the creation of the city's American Freedmen Commission—one of the first of its kind in the nation.
Defining the Conversation in New York
USDF has also been pivotal in consulting with advocates from New York, who in turn educated lawmakers on the legal and historical necessity of using “American Freedmen” as an identifier instead of race-based terminology. That work culminated in proposed legislation, Bill A07828A, which incorporated the Freedmen language. You can watch a powerful example of this advocacy in action here.
We've also educated influential voices such as Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator of The 1619 Project, on the importance of using "Freedmen" as a race-neutral lineage-based identifier. See her acknowledgment of our perspective here and here.
National Recognition & Federal Engagement
Our advocacy has been covered by Associated Press, The Hill, The Grio, NBC, ABC, and others. USDF formally submitted a recommendation to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to have “American Freedmen” recognized as a federal statistical category—ensuring proper disaggregation of data for the 40+ million American Freedmen.
Advancing Policy, Scholarship, and Identity
We’ve helped resurrect the Freedmen identity, prompting California to propose a modern Freedmen’s Bureau.
USDF has also collaborated with Dr. William A. (“Sandy”) Darity Jr., a renowned economist at Duke University. On August 4, 2021, he and Ali Bey (USDF’s Director of History and Research) co-authored “Allegiance, Birthright, and Race in America”—a research paper presented during Yale University’s “Contested Citizenship” roundtable, hosted by the Gilder Lehrman Center for the Study of Slavery, Resistance, and Abolition. The paper continues to shape academic and legal discussions on Freedmen citizenship and reparations.
Building Community and Political Power
In October 2024, USDF co-hosted a public debate on reparations with NCOBRA and distributed more than 30 books, educational packets, and free meals to local residents. Across the country, we continue to consult with state legislators in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Texas, and beyond—offering research, policy guidance, and organizing tools to secure tangible outcomes for the American Freedmen.