Camp Gabriel: Searching for Black Family Histories

VCU’s Department of African American Studies is hosting a weeklong day camp for high school students centered on genealogy and local history.

Students will spend each day at camp developing their research skills while uncovering their family’s roots. They will use local, digital and institutional resources to research their family’s history, as well as learn archival practices for organizing the data into a family tree document to take home.

The camp is organized and led by faculty members from VCU’s Department of African American Studies, alongside a professional genealogist, and is held in person at VCU’s beautiful Richmond campus. Students will also swim and take daily field trips to such locations as the Richmond Trail Of Enslaved Africans, Shockoe Bottom African Burial Ground, Sankofa Community Orchard, the Library of Virginia, and the Black History Museum.

Participant Eligibility

• High school students, entering grades 9-12 in 2025-26
• Live in Richmond or surrounding counties
• Interest in African American studies/Black history
• Minimum GPA: 2.5