Freedom Colonies are towns and communities that were founded by freed slaves after Emancipation was announced in Galveston in 1865. Before that, we know these places to be marooned communities. There are over 500 estimated Freedom Colonies in the state of Texas.
T.D. Bailey
T.D. Bailey, also known as DaLyah Jones, is an eighth-generation Deep East Texan born and raised behind the “Pine Curtain.” She is the founder and editorial director of PECAN (Preserving Essential Cultures and Narratives) Project, a reparative journalism initiative focused on quantifying reparations owed to Afro-Texans while organizing alongside Black cowboys and descendants of Freedom Colonies. A former Texas Observer staff writer and director of engagement, her work has appeared in NPR, Texas Monthly, NBC Think, Prism and more.