Research At The National Archives And Beyond!

The Price for Their Pound of Flesh includes photographs, illustrations, newspaper clippings, advertisements, extensive lists of appraisal and sale values, quotes, poems, letters, and songs from the time period. Additionally, Berry’s focus on sharing a diversity of stories of and from enslaved people illuminates their experiences and feelings in direct response to their understanding of their monetary values and position as property. “Despite being traded as commodities from the womb to the grave,” Berry writes, “enslaved peoples understanding of their soul values transcended the external values placed upon their bodies. And with this realization, their souls were at peace.” This is the first book to explore an enslaved person's ascribed value throughout their lifespan, including before birth and after death. The book represents more than a decade of Berry's original research and insight into the history of the slave trade in American. Daina Ramey Berry is an associate professor of history and African and Af

Family Pictures USA is a television series and transmedia project that explores neighborhoods and cities through the lens of the family photo album. Hosted by Thomas Allen Harris, this innovative television series enlarges our understanding of history, our diversity, and our shared values. Thomas Allen Harris is a critically acclaimed artist who uses film, video, photography, and performance to explore family and identity. Harris' work has been broadcast internationally and exhibited at major festivals, museums and galleries across the globe. A graduate of Harvard College, and a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, he has received numerous awards including an NAACP Image Award and African Oscar, as well as Guggeheim, Rockfeller, and United States Artist fellowships. He lectures and teaches widely on media arts, visual literacy, and personal archiving at such institutions as Yale, Dartmouth, University of California, and many others. www.familypicturesusa.com  

 Professional Genealogist. Kenyatta D. Berry will discuss her Slave Ancestral Research on Universities Studying Slavery. Kenyatta D. Berry,  Professional Genealogist, Entrepreneur and Attorney with over 20 years of experience in genealogical research and writing. She began her genealogical journey whilst in law school studying at the State Library of Michigan in Lansing. A native of Detroit, Berry graduated from Bates Academy, Cass Technical High School, Michigan State University and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She has deep roots in Detroit, the city her ancestors have lived since the 1920’s.   Berry, Host on Genealogy Roadshow (PBS), has been featured on several morning news shows in various markets and made a splash with her appearance on The Real (FOX), where she revealed the DNA results of the Hosts. Her most recent appearance on For Peete's Sake (OWN) is generating a buzz surrounding her expertise in the field of Genealogy.    A frequent lecturer, writer and television personality, Berry focuses on

GEDmatch provides DNA and genealogical analysis tools for amateur and professional researchers and genealogists and most tools are free. You will need to upload autosomal DNA raw data to make use of their tools. Jason Lee, MD will walk the listeners through the basics of how to use the tools at Gedmatch.com to assist you in analyzing your DNA results. Jason Lee, MD has been a genetic genealogist for a little over 5 years. He is the administrator for the AncestryDNA Matching Facebook group and he blogs at DNA Genealogy. Jason Lee, MD  has also been a practicing physician for the last 11 years.

  This discussion is on documenting ourselves and leaving a blue print for future genealogist.  We are the era of baby boomers; we have seen and participated in a lot of history in our life time. It will take 72-years or more after our death for our family to research us and, we can leave them a blue print so that they do not have to wait to find out about us. Char McCargo Bah is the CEO/Owner of FindingThingsforU, LLC.  She has been a genealogist since 1981 and has appeared in television interviews with CBS, FOX-5, Comcast, PBS -  just to name a few and documentaries. Char has received numerous awards for her work in genealogy.  She was the City of Alexandria’s genealogist on the Alexandria Freedmen and Contraband Cemetery and became a Living Legend of Alexandria in 2014. She is co-author of “African Americans of Alexandria, VA: Beacons of Light in the Twentieth Century.” Char has over 41 articles with the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) in a column called Char’s Corner”  She is t

Antoinette Harrell a Peonage Detective has spent countless hours in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., conducting peonage research in Class 50 (Peonage) Litigation Case Files, 1907 – 1973.  The Class 50 litigation case files were created or accumulated by the Civil Rights Division in carrying out the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) responsibilities in matters arising under statutes implementing the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution. Many African Americans were physically forced or sometimes beaten to return to former employers to work off their debts. The files contain correspondence, memorandums, telegrams, newspaper clippings, transcripts of testimonies, FBI reports of investigations, and indictments.   Antoinette has spent the last five years interviewing and documenting the history of Donald Jeffery who lived his entire life on Ballground Plantation.  VICE Documentary is producing a 30-minute documentary on her research. Her peonage and involuntary servitude research has been featured in P

The GLEAMNS Dr. Benjamin E. Mays Historical Preservation Site has been established on the campus of GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission  is located in the old African-American Brewer Hospital, the site and source of African-American healthcare in Greenwood County before desegregation.  The site, adjacent to and part of the old Brewer School has its origins back to 1872, was chosen because of its historical significance to black life in Greenwood County.  The birth home of Dr. Mays, previously listed as one of South Carolina’s Eleven Most Endangered Properties, was originally located in a pasture in SE Greenwood County in the community of Epworth.   The site includes the original Burns Spring School from the Epworth area that is identical to the Brickhouse School that Dr. Mays attended as a child. The Barn that serves as modern museum. The museum captures Dr. Mays’ life in over 100 professionally framed photos and contains many of his personal items. The museum contains a theatre that seats fifty-five and is e

Andre Kearns's research comes from the perspective of an African American genealogy hobbyist. Advances in DNA testing offer African Americans the possibility of leapfrogging brick walls created by slavery to connect to ancestral roots by analyzing family history documented within DNA.  Andre will share strategies he’s used to advance his research as a hobbyist and highlight how he’s leveraged DNA testing to reveal white slave owning ancestors, uncover free people of color ancestors and re-connect family branches.  Andre Kearns has deep roots in the American south and a passion for discovering new ancestors and learning their stories. An African American, he knew he descended from enslaved persons and likely slave owners which DNA analysis has helped confirm. Through his research he also discovered ancestors that were free people of color long before the civil war, Native American, and multi-racial persons. Discovering this ancestry has unlocked previously unknown rich aspects of American history. Andre is a

The history of slavery in America has made our DNA a complex cultural stew. In this episode, Nicka Smith combine traditional genealogy and DNA research to trace back to previously unknown but well documented enslaved ancestors. Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, host, and documentarian with more than 18 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in African ancestored genealogy, reverse genealogy, and family reunion planning and execution. She is also an expert in genealogical research in the Northeastern Louisiana area, sharing genealogy with youth, documenting the ancestral journey, and employing the use of new technology in genealogy and family history research. Nicka has diverse and varied experience in communications, with a background in publications, editing, graphic design, radio, and video production. She has edited and designed several volumes of family history that include narratives, photos, and genealogical information and has also transferred these thin

  The Genealogy Do-Over (https://genealogydo-over.com) is an online educational initiative to improve genealogical and family history research skills. The Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/genealogydoover/) has over 15,000 members working through the monthly topics provided by genealogy author and educator Thomas MacEntee. The goal of The Genealogy Do-Over is not to wallow in regrets over the mistakes we've made with our genealogy in the past. Do-Over members are willing to set aside years of research and start over - from scratch!  And finally, a NEW FEATURE  is added for 2018 - the DNA Do-Over! This group targets genealogists and family historians who have taken DNA tests but really haven't put their DNA data to work! Patterned after The Genealogy Do-Over, we cover one topic each month and improve our genetic genealogy education in a supportive atmosphere. What happens when a “tech guy” with a love for history gets laid off during The Great Recession of 2008? You get Thomas MacEntee, a gen

In 2017, Kathy Kanika Marshall wrote, The Ancestors Are Smiling! which is a collection of uplifting, funny, touching and sometimes harrowing real life stories, creatively told by Kathy Marshall’s ancestors and their descendants. For example, Marshall’s great-grandmother, Ella, worked for a congressman who helped convince President Lincoln to issue the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, making it possible for her second great-grandmother, Margaret, to transport her five enslaved children in a buckboard to freedom in Ohio. Spunky Great-aunt Reba describes receiving her high school diploma at 106, and being profiled in Essence Magazine and on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Pullman Porter Austin’s dream came true when his sometimes wayward son (Marshall’s father) became a doctor. Marshall’s mother, Mary, a Principal, shares her excitement when Apple Computers installed the first computer technology lab in her Sacramento school in 1983. And 93-year-old great-uncle Charles describes how he became a medical miracle

"The African Royal DNA Project is based in the United States and has a global network extending into various Countries. This project is designed to assist Africans in the Diaspora whose ancestors were forcefully removed from the Continent an opportunity to return to their families. DNA technology is used to test Kings and Queens as well as family members living in Africa for the purpose of re-connecting them to their rightful homes." Ada Anagho Brown is a native of Cameroon whose family moved to the United States in 1975. She is the third child of the current Chief of Ngwo located in the Njikwa subdivision of Cameroon. Over the years, she has dedicated her life to promoting Africa.  For several years she worked with a non-profit American based organization whose mission was to give back to the children of the United States through music and culture. For the past three years, she has organized trips to Cameroon with African Americans who traced their DNA to Cameroon. Collectively, she has facilitated the tra

Anita R. Henderson is known by many as The Author’s Midwife. She is owner of The Write Image, and creator of The Genealogist's Writing Room, an online community helping genealogists write and share the stories of their ancestors and their journey to find them. Her work with professionals and family history researchers has resulted in multiple award-winning books and has helped them grow their overall confidence in their ability to write a compelling story that captures the interest and emotion of readers. Christine Easterling is a retired teacher and school administrator who served students in Washington, DC, for over thirty years. As a certified dean of Standard Leadership Schools in affiliation with the National Baptist Convention, USA, Inc., she’s responsible for accrediting church schools. She is the former president of the DC Retired Educators’ Association (DCREA) and author of Inspirational Treasures: Essays by Educators and the Students Reflecting the Joy of Teaching. She also wrote A Giant for Justic

  Have you noticed the changes in your DNA test results?  Do you know about the new companies that have appeared in the last 12 months? Has your DNA company recently announced the use of a new chip to analyze your DNA results? Shannon Christmas will discuss the latest happenings in the DNA Landscape. Named an “essential blog for genetic genealogy education” by the Board of Certification for Genealogists, Through The Trees is a blog for genealogy enthusiasts seeking to locate and leverage new tools and emerging technologies to break through genealogical brick walls. Shannon Christmas, is an experienced genealogist specializing in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas. He serves as a 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador, administrator of The Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown Autosomal DNA Project, and as a co-administrator of The Hemings-Jefferson-Wayles-Eppes Autosomal DNA Project. Shannon Christmas is also on the DNA Faculty of the Midwest African American Geneal

Host Bernice Bennett welcomes Dr. Evelyn McDowell, LaBrenda Garrett Nelson, and Muriel D. Roberts for a discussion on a new lineage society - the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage. The discussion will focus on the organization (creation & purpose); why join a lineage society and the process to join this society. Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage (SDUSMP) is a lineage society that is a non-profit, charitable 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the memory, education, and historic preservation of the artifacts and landmarks of slavery in the United States and its economic, psychological, and cultural impact on today's society. Evelyn Aniton McDowell, Ph.D., CPA, CGMA is an Associate Professor of Accounting at Rider University in Lawrenceville, New Jersey.  She currently serves as founder and President of Sons & Daughters of the United States Middle Passage (SDUSMP), a heritage society for descendants of Africans who were enslaved in colonial America and in the Un

Host Bernice Bennett welcomes author, Michael W. Twitty for a discussion of his new book, The Cooking Gene - A Journey Through African American Culinary History in the Old South. Michael W. Twitty is also the author of Afroculinaria a food blog. As a food writer, independent scholar, culinary historian, and historical interpreter, he is personally charged with preparing, preserving and promoting African American foodways and its parent traditions in Africa and her Diaspora and the legacy in the food culture of the American South. Michael is a Judaic studies teacher from the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area and his interests include food culture, food history, Jewish cultural issues, African American history and cultural politics. Afroculinaria highlights and addresses the critical role of  food in the development and definition of African American civilization and the politics of consumption and cultural ownership that surround it.

   "The Civil War is sometimes called the Second Haitian Revolution.  For over seventy years pro-slavers feared Haiti, and the enslaved and abolitionists found great hope from Toussaint Louverture and Haiti.  Marvin T. Jones details the actions of enslaved and abolitionists who were encouraged by the Haitian Revolution, Haiti’s own involvement in offering freedom to people of color. And, why Haiti was so important to keeping alive the hope that all Americans would be free.  American leaders who wrote, spoke of and acted due to their admiration for Louverture include John Brown, Martin Delaney, Gabriel Prosser, Frederick Douglass, Charlotte Forten, William Lloyd Garrison, Prince Hall, John Mercer Langston, Wendell Phillips, Senator Charles Sumner, Denmark Vesey and David Walker.  Many African Americans today are descended from all who saw Haiti as a guiding light. Marvin T. Jones, a documentary photographer and filmmaker, is the executive Director of the Chowan Discovery Group, a research, documentation, pre

The Price for Their Pound of Flesh includes photographs, illustrations, newspaper clippings, advertisements, extensive lists of appraisal and sale values, quotes, poems, letters, and songs from the time period. Additionally, Berry’s focus on sharing a diversity of stories of and from enslaved people illuminates their experiences and feelings in direct response to their understanding of their monetary values and position as property. “Despite being traded as commodities from the womb to the grave,” Berry writes, “enslaved peoples understanding of their soul values transcended the external values placed upon their bodies. And with this realization, their souls were at peace.” This is the first book to explore an enslaved person's ascribed value throughout their lifespan, including before birth and after death. The book represents more than a decade of Berry's original research and insight into the history of the slave trade in American. Daina Ramey Berry is an associate professor of history and African and Af

 Angela P. Dodson documents one of the longest, most hard-won struggles for civil rights in our country’s history. Her approach to this history is inclusive, detailing the contributions of activists from various movements, women and men, of different races, religions and politics who helped bring about the victory to secure the right to vote for women. She also documents women’s political gains since that milestone. This book, complete with beautiful photographs and illustrations, will help facilitate the conversation about how far women have come and where they are headed politically. Angela P. Dodson, CEO of Editorsoncall LLC.  and a contributing editor for Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, has served as senior editor for The New York Times and executive editor of Black Issues Book Review. She has written and edited newspaper and magazine articles, feature stories and books. She is married to Michael I. Days, editor for reader engagement and vice president of Philadelphia Media Network, and author of “O

The panelist will focus on Indian Territory Freedmen Family History and resources. Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her genealogical and historical research and work on Civil War west of the Mississippi, as well as her work on Oklahoma Native-American records. Her book, “Black Indian Genealogy Research” is the only book of its kind focusing on the unique record set reflecting Freedmen found within the Dawes Records.  She also includes several chapters and documents in her book, focusing on the records that reflect Blended Families, African and Native American families in many households.  Ronald Graham, Sr. was born and raised in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His father Theodore Graham was an original allottee, roll number Creek Freedmen newborn 671. He's also a direct descendant of: Hutton/Grayson, Corbray and McGilbray. All were Muscogee(Creek) nation citizen's. Terry Ligon is a history and genealogical researcher who has dedicated twenty eight years researching Freedmen of Indian Territory. One area of