A 10 Million Names event featuring a conversation with Ken Burns and Dr. Vincent Brown
Thursday, June 18, 2026 6:00 – 7:15 PM ET
Join the Live Broadcast
Click here to join the live broadcast: https://zoom.us/j/99904448332
If you are unable to attend the live broadcast, you will be able to view a recording for a limited time.
Thank you for registering for this event!
Join us for a virtual event in support of 10 Million Names—a collaborative project dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in what is now America.
On the eve of Juneteenth, this special event will feature a conversation between acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns (*The American Revolution*) and historian Dr. Vincent Brown, exploring the history and enduring significance of Patriots of color and their vital but often overlooked role in the American Revolution.
The event will also celebrate a major milestone: the release of freely accessible family trees linking Patriots of color to descendants born before 1900, making it easier for living individuals to trace their connection to the American Revolution. These trees span generations, reconnecting families across time and restoring lineages that tie the Revolutionary era directly to the present—demonstrating that this history is not only remembered, but continues to shape lives today.
By participating in this event, you are not only engaging with history—you are helping to restore it. Proceeds directly support the mission of 10 Million Names, advancing the work of recovery, remembrance, and historical restoration.
In Dialogue
Ken Burns has been making documentary films for fifty years. Since the Academy Award nominated Brooklyn Bridge in 1981, Ken has gone on to direct and produce some of the most acclaimed historical documentaries ever made, including The Civil War; Baseball; Jazz;The War; The National Parks: America’s Best Idea; Prohibition;The Roosevelts: An Intimate History; The Vietnam War; Country Music; The U.S. and the Holocaust; The American Buffalo; Leonardo da Vinci; and, most recently, The American Revolution. Future film projects include Emancipation to Exodus, and LBJ & the Great Society, among others.
Ken’s films have been honored with dozens of major awards, including seventeen Emmy Awards, two Grammy Awards and two Oscar nominations. In September of 2008, at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards, Ken was honored by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a Lifetime Achievement Award. In November of 2022, Ken was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Dr. Vincent Brown is Charles Warren Professor of American History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Harvard University. He teaches courses in Atlantic history, African diaspora studies, and the history of slavery in the Americas. Brown is the author of the two award-winning books The Reaper’s Garden: Death and Power in the World of Atlantic Slavery (Harvard University Press, 2008) and Tacky’s Revolt: The Story of an Atlantic Slave War (Belknap Press, 2020), and he is producer of Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness (2009), an audiovisual documentary broadcast on the PBS series Independent Lens, as well as the short video series The Bigger Picture (2022) for PBS Digital Studios. He was also a featured historian in The American Revolution (2025).
Moderated by
An educator and historian, Ryan Woods is President & CEO of American Ancestors. For nearly two decades, he has led the development of award-winning experiences for exploring family history, heritage, & culture.