Groundbreaking exhibition elevates Black and Native Revolutionary lives and the living descendant families reclaiming them today
McGRATHPR.com – In observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, American Ancestors’ Family Heritage Experience unveils “Patriots of Color,” a major new exhibition opening Thursday, April 23, at 97 Newbury Street, Boston. The exhibit brings long-overlooked stories of Black, Native, and multiracial individuals into full view—revealing their vital roles in the founding of our nation and the living descendants who carry their legacies forward today.
Thousands of Black men fought in the American Revolution—an estimated 5,000 to 9,000 for the Patriot cause and as many as 20,000 supporting the British, many seeking freedom from enslavement—yet their contributions remain underrepresented in traditional accounts of the nation’s founding. Set against the backdrop of Boston’s central role in the Revolution, “Patriots of Color” highlights profiles of 26 individuals—two from each of the original 13 colonies—whose service, labor, leadership, and resistance shaped the Revolutionary cause in ways rarely taught or remembered today. Through original documents, immersive digital experiences, and contemporary artistic interpretation, the exhibition reframes the Revolution as a far more complex and inclusive struggle for independence.
A centerpiece of the exhibition is a large-scale interactive digital map of the 13 colonies, which invites visitors to tap and explore information about 26 individual Patriots, represented by silhouettes designed by teenage artists from the Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Public Art Program. Interactive screens about the patriots reveal biographical details, service histories, and—most powerfully—their connection to modern-day living descendants, some of whom are expected to attend the exhibition’s opening events. Also on view are original 18th- and 19th-century manuscripts, military muster rolls, family Bibles, and historic engravings—archival materials that bring overlooked Revolutionary lives into focus and reveal the research process behind their rediscovery.
The exhibit is part of American Ancestors’ 10 Million Names initiative, which aims to recover the names and lives of enslaved people through archival research.
“What makes ‘Patriots of Color’ distinctive is not only who these individuals were, but how we know them,” said Ryan Woods, President and CEO of American Ancestors. “This exhibition shows that history is not fixed or finished. Through documents, research, and genealogy, it is possible to uncover real, personal connections to the past—and, in doing so, better understand our present.”
Silhouettes of Legacy
Reinforcing the exhibition’s themes of interpretation and intergenerational storytelling, “Patriots of Color” includes a collaborative component with the Cambridge Community Art Center’s Teen Public Art Program. Founded in 1937, the Community Art Center has long served as a creative anchor in Cambridge, empowering young people through public art and community-rooted expression.
For “Patriots of Color,” students were invited to create imaginative silhouette artwork inspired by historical profiles of Patriots. The resulting silhouette portraits draw on an historic artistic tradition that predates photography, when profile portraits were an accessible way to preserve a person’s likeness. In this context, the form carries particular resonance: silhouettes assert presence, a demonstration that a life was lived.
Displayed alongside the historical narratives, and each artist’s biography, these contemporary works place today’s youth artists in dialogue with Revolutionary era lives. Their inclusion underscores the exhibition’s broader message that history is not static—it is continually interpreted, expanded, and made visible across generations.
Additional exhibition elements explore how Patriots of Color contributed beyond military service, the difficult choices—or lack of choice—between Patriot and Loyalist allegiances, and the painstaking process of reconstructing lives through muster rolls, family Bibles, pension files, and other primary sources. Throughout, visitors are encouraged to see themselves not just as observers of history, but as participants in reclaiming it.
“Patriots of Color” remains on view through December 31, 2026, with an opening celebration and public programs planned in conjunction with Revolution 250 commemorations in Boston.
Exhibit Highlights:
- Patriots of Color profiles—two from each of the original 13 colonies—featured through an expansive interactive digital map
- Connections between Revolutionary-era Patriots and living descendants, bringing the story of the Revolution into the present day
- Original manuscripts, muster rolls, engravings, and family records that demonstrate how historical lives are recovered through genealogical research
- A dynamic touchscreen experience inviting visitors to explore service, resistance, and legacy across the colonies, with direct links to American Ancestors’ 10 Million Names initiative
- A collaborative public art installation featuring silhouette works created by Community Art Center Teen Public Art Program artists, interpreting individual Patriot stories through contemporary creative expression
“Patriots of Color: Reclaiming Stories of Courage, Resistance, and Legacy” reframes the American Revolution through the lens of family history—demonstrating that the nation’s founding stories are not fixed in the past, but can be rediscovered, reinterpreted, and reclaimed through research, documents, and lived connection.
Exhibit Opening: April 23, 2026
On View: Through December 31, 2026, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 6 pm
Location: Family Heritage Experience at American Ancestors, 97 Newbury Street, Boston, MA
Admission: $10 for adults. Free for children under 12. Members receive free admission.
Discover Your Own History: Visitors are encouraged to explore their own family stories through American Ancestors’ research services and the 10 Million Names initiative, which seeks to recover and restore the identities of enslaved people through historical records.
Planning Your Visit: The Family Heritage Experience and the gift shop on the first floor of American Ancestors at 97 Newbury Street, Boston, MA, are open Tuesday through Saturday, from 10 am to 6 pm. The facility is located near Copley Square and the Arlington and Copley Green line T stations. For more information, including accessibility and amenities, visit fhe.americanancestors.org.
About the Family Heritage Experience
The Family Heritage Experience—an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research—was launched in 2025 by American Ancestors®, a national center for family history, heritage, and culture. The Family Heritage Experience is located on the first floor of American Ancestors’ headquarters at 97 Newbury Street, in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit fhe.americanancestors.org.
About American Ancestors
American Ancestors® is a national nonprofit center for family history, heritage & culture based in Boston, Massachusetts, that has been setting the gold standard for genealogical research since its founding in 1845. Today, American Ancestors serves 400K+ members and subscribers through AmericanAncestors.org, one of the world’s largest online collections of family history resources. In 2025, American Ancestors launched the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research, located at 97 Newbury Street at our headquarters in Boston. American Ancestors is also home to the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, which preserves New England’s Jewish history, and 10 Million Names, a project dedicated to finding the names of the enslaved men, women, and children in pre- and post-colonial America before emancipation. For more information, visit americanancestors.org.
About 10 Million Names
10 Million Names is dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated ten million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial America (specifically, the territory that would become the United States) between the 1500s and 1865. 10Million Names is engaging a collaborative network of expert genealogists, cultural organizations, and community-based family historians. Together we will amplify the voices of people who have been telling their family stories for centuries, connect researchers and data partners with people seeking answers to family history questions, and expand access to data, resources, and information about enslaved African Americans. For more information, visit 10millionnames.org
