WNC, Past and Present: The African American Experience in the Smokies: Making the Invisible Visible

In 2018, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) started The African American Experiences in the Smokies Project (AAESP) to focus on the overlooked history of African Americans in the Smokies and Southern Appalachia. Participants will learn the long-standing history of African American culture in the region through free and enslaved peoples interactions with early white settlers. Also, participants will look at the documentation of African American burials in and around the GSMNP and how the AAESP is using these burials to shed light on the lives of African Americans in the area.