The Conduct of Our Community

DHF is a community of descendants, scholars, and stewards. Every interaction — at events, in correspondence, or within our digital spaces — should reflect the dignity of those who came before us and those who will come after.

• ✦Engage with patience, generosity, and good faith.
• ✦Honor differing perspectives, lived experiences, and family traditions.
• ✦Refrain from personal attacks, derogatory language, or dismissive behavior.
• ✦Center kindness, even in disagreement.

Our work touches the lives — and afterlives — of enslaved and freedperson ancestors. We treat the historical record with reverence and rigor.

• ✦Cite sources and distinguish documented fact from family oral tradition.
• ✦Do not embellish, fabricate, or alter ancestral records, photographs, or narratives.
• ✦Approach painful histories with care and contextual honesty.
• ✦Correct errors openly when they are discovered.

Members entrust DHF with deeply personal stories, lineage records, and family documents. Protecting that trust is a shared responsibility.

• ✦Do not share another member's personal information, contact details, or family records outside DHF without their explicit permission.
• ✦Treat documents and photographs uploaded to the portal as confidential unless designated public.
• ✦Do not screenshot, redistribute, or republish member-submitted content.
• ✦Honor requests to remove or restrict access to ancestral information.

The members-only portal is an extension of our community. The same standards that govern our gatherings apply online — and often more strictly, because words on a screen endure.

• ✦Use the portal for purposes aligned with DHF's mission.
• ✦Do not impersonate other members, staff, or board officers.
• ✦Do not solicit, advertise, or promote unrelated commercial ventures.
• ✦Report suspicious activity, account compromise, or inappropriate content to leadership promptly.

DHF does not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or discrimination of any kind. This commitment extends to every member, applicant, guest, vendor, and visitor.

• ✦Discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, or socioeconomic background is prohibited.
• ✦Harassment — verbal, written, visual, or physical — will not be permitted in any DHF space.
• ✦Retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith is itself a violation of these standards.
• ✦Concerns may be reported confidentially to the Board of Directors.

Lineage applications and ancestral submissions are the foundation of DHF's scholarly mission. We hold this work to the highest evidentiary standard.

• ✦All lineage claims must be supported by primary or credible secondary sources.
• ✦Submitted documents must be authentic and unaltered.
• ✦Applicants are responsible for the accuracy of every name, date, and relationship submitted.
• ✦Falsified, plagiarized, or knowingly inaccurate submissions may result in denial of membership and removal of associated records.

Descendants of Heritage and Freedom reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or revoke access to its membership, programs, events, communications, and Members Portal when necessary to protect the integrity, safety, and mission of the organization. These actions may be taken in response to misconduct, misuse, or violations of these Community Standards.

• ✦The Board of Directors, or its designated representatives, may take appropriate action after reviewing the facts and circumstances of each situation.
• ✦Grounds for disciplinary action include, but are not limited to, harassment, discrimination, threats, breaches of confidentiality or privacy, falsification of lineage or historical documentation, misuse of organizational resources, or repeated violations of these Community Standards.
• ✦Whenever appropriate, members will be notified of concerns and given an opportunity to respond before disciplinary action is taken.
• ✦Serious violations involving member safety, illegal activity, fraud, or conduct that materially harms the organization or its mission may result in immediate suspension or termination of membership and access without prior notice.