The Prince Project

Twelve years ago, Vana Carmona discovered the gravestone of a man named Prince near several of her family's plots. Learning he had been enslaved by her ancestors, she embarked on a historical quest to find others. Soon she found out that enslavement in Maine was more common than she ever believed. Moreover, many of our founding fathers were complicit in the human trafficking from Africa as well.

Vana subsequently founded The Prince Project, which is now a non-profit organization, 501 (c) (3). Its mission is to help rewrite the historical narrative of Maine and to ensure that the next generation knows the truth about our earlier Maine families.

The research has yielded a unique understanding of Maine's enslavement, as well as New England's, which is often misunderstood - if not ignored.

The Prince Project has uncovered more than 2000 people of color who were enslaved or descended from enslaved people in Maine prior to 1800. This database is now up and searchable online on their website.

Presentations discuss The Project, the history of enslavement in Maine, as well as how these people were forced to live. It also focuses on the enslavers themselves, many of whom were prominent citizens of Maine.

Vana has done presentations on The Prince Project research at various local historical societies, libraries, and schools throughout the State and beyond. She is a graduate of Sarah Lawrence College and completed her Master of Liberal Arts (focusing on Medieval History) at California State University/Sacramento.

 princeproject.org