About the Institute
An institution for the descendants of American slavery.
We exist to recover the records, names, and stories that history tried to erase — and to build, in this generation, the kind of research and preservation home our ancestors were denied.
Mission
Recover. Document. Preserve. Elevate.
The Black Lineage & Heritage Institute, Inc. is an emerging nonprofit organization dedicated to recovering, documenting, preserving, and elevating the lineage and heritage of Black Americans — with particular focus on the descendants of those enslaved in the United States.
For generations, our families have carried the weight of interrupted records, renamed ancestors, and stories held only in memory. We are building the institution — the research, the archives, the education, and the community — that treats that inheritance with the seriousness and dignity it has always deserved.
Vision
A generation that knows where it comes from.
We envision a future in which every Black American family that wishes to can trace, honor, and pass down their lineage — with access to the records, tools, education, and cultural context that make that inheritance real.
The Institute is being built to serve families, scholars, educators, historical societies, and community partners for generations to come.
Founder
Founder Photo Needed
A formal portrait will be placed here once provided.
Reechad McCampbell
Founder and Executive Director
Reechad McCampbell is the founder of the Black Lineage & Heritage Institute, Inc., an emerging nonprofit organization dedicated to recovering, documenting, preserving, and elevating the lineage and heritage of Black Americans, with particular focus on the descendants of those enslaved in the United States.
Reechad's work is rooted in the belief that every family deserves the right to know where they come from, to honor the ancestors who came before them, and to pass that inheritance forward with clarity and dignity. He founded the Institute to build the kind of research, archival, and educational home our communities have long been denied.
Guided by faith, family, and a deep respect for the historical record, Reechad is committed to constructing an institution that treats Black American history not as a footnote to the American story, but as a central and enduring chapter of it — one deserving of scholarship, stewardship, and permanence.
Governance
Board and leadership
The Institute's board of directors and advisory council are currently being formed. Positions on the founding board and advisory roles will be published here as each member is confirmed and formally seated.