Biography/Autobiography
The African American Lives Series
by Malik Wilson
The African American Lives series follows the experiences of African Americans of a certain age - mainly those able to recall the grand civilization that situated them, concentrated them. The project takes as its leitmotif the idea that it was this preserving, conserving power that allowed such beliefs and practices to become standardized, to exist as a kind of extant, plentiful patrimony, inheritance, bequest. Surely, all have benefited to one degree or another, and It is out of such fallen times that the most remarkable forms of beauty emerge.
Generously supported from an establishing grant from the EMJ Fund, The African American Lives Series is seeking to press a kind of lasting elegy to those communities which gave rise to such a noble civilization.
Oral History/Documentary
African American Lives Series, 2026-2029 by Malik Wilson for the Takoma Foundation
Takoma's African American Lives Series is a 10-year effort to compile nearly 1200 oral histories from older African Americans. Of these, 120 will be turned into book form and presented. Our Fall 2026 presentation kicks off with the memoirs of Ernest Wilson and Wendy Wilson-Fall, Wilbur Wright, Tony Nicholas, and Vaughn Holsey.
Key support has been provided from the Takoma Foundation and friends, family, and institutional supporters. Please join with us as we embark upon this important undertaking.
Technology
The African American Family Tree App
September 2026
Created exclusively for Takoma and the Takoma Foundation, the African American Family Tree App helps families and individuals neatly organize, examine, and preserve family legacies. Expertly designed by award-winning developer Lowell Wooden, The African American Family Tree App creates space for pictures, oral histories, written stories, and more, all within a family-controlled ecosystem.