. >> reporter: in 1974, a woman named celia black at the age of 114 years old and shortly before hering cotton in texas as a child born into slavery. >> you didn't pick cotton or nothing? >> oh, i didn't do nothing but work in the field. worked in the field. goodness, goodness, me and my husband would go out, out west and pick cotton. pick cotton. go out west every year. we wouldn't miss a year going out there picking cotton. >> one of the things that struck me is you have an interview recorded in 1974. for some black americans, they're one generation removed from slavery. >> in some ways we think of slavery of ancient history that happened a long time ago to people we possibly couldn't have known. >> reporter: dr. kendra field, chiefa6istorian of the project and harvard professor vincent brown explained how these recordings illustrate an enormous preservation effort, the firsthand accounts shedding light on the darkest chapters i. with the help of the "10 million names" genealogist we were able to find the direct descendants of celia black and met 64-year-old curtis royal who spent