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Black History: What Slave Records Reveal About Colorism and Identity

Sunday 5th July 2026

The clues to colorism’s origins may be hidden in slave records. Discover what they reveal about identity and ancestry.

 

Colorism is often seen as a matter of personal attitudes or preferences. Yet slave records reveal a deeper story. The ways people were described in these records were shaped by the society that created them, leaving clues about how ideas of identity, status and skin tone developed over time.

In this online Black history talk, genealogist and author Paul Crooks explores how slavery-era records can provide important insights into the historical foundations of colorism and the ways identity was recorded, interpreted and understood. Drawing on historical sources and documented family history research, the session examines how these records continue to influence the way ancestry is traced today.

Paul Crooks is a genealogist, author and speaker specialising in Black history and African-Caribbean ancestry. He is known for one of the earliest documented reconstructions of African-Caribbean ancestry from the Caribbean to Africa using archival records, tracing his own ancestry from London to West Africa via Jamaica.

His work explores themes including ancestry, identity, migration, slavery, emancipation, Windrush and the interpretation of historical records. He is the author of A Tree Without Roots: The Guide to Tracing British, African and Asian-Caribbean Ancestry and the novel Ancestors. His research has been featured by the BBC and has helped inspire thousands of people to explore their own family histories.

Drawing on his own work, including his father’s journey from Jamaica to Britain, this session looks at what slavery-era records show about how people were described and understood — and how these patterns continued after emancipation.

What You’ll Gain

• A clearer understanding of how slavery-era records reflect the origins of colorism
• Insight into why colorism extends beyond personal bias and is embedded in historical structures
• Greater clarity on why identity does not appear consistently across slavery-era records
• A stronger understanding of why standard genealogy approaches reach their limits
• A more accurate perspective on how colorism shapes the interpretation of ancestry

Who This Talk Is For

• Those exploring Black ancestry beyond the limits of standard genealogy
• Individuals whose research has reached a point where records no longer align
• Anyone working with African-Caribbean or African American family history
• Those seeking a deeper understanding of identity, history and ancestry

Event Details:

Start Time: 7:00pm
Finish Time: 8:00pm

Tickets: From £5.00

Location: Online

Ticket packages include optional digital resources such as the African–Irish–Creole Caribbean Culture Guide, Descendants eBook and DNA Testing Demystified.

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