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Hello everyone and welcome back!
Today is Friday April2, 2010
My name is Angela Walton-Raji, and this is the African Roots Podcast.
You can always reach me at africanrootspodcast@gmail.com
Welcome to the first episode of my 2nd year of the African Roots Podcast!
Thanks for making my 1st year a success!
Some events underway so lets get started!
April 8- 10th
Howard University to host a symposium in honor of the lateDr. John Hope Franklin. As you know, he was a professor of history at Howard University from 1947 to 1956, where he set the highest standard for excellence in scholarship, research, and service. His book, From Slavery to Freedom: a History of African when he began teaching at Howard. The event is free to the public but you should register in advance for space is limited.
April 10th
Saturday, April 10, 2010 at 10:30 am. The Baltimore’s Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society-the Agnes Kane Callum Chapter will present Dr. Hari Jones, Curator of the African American Civil War Memorial & Museum. The program will be at the Enoch Pratt Free Library – Northwood Branch, Baltimore, MD. Additional details can be found here.
The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian will host a genealogy presentation at 1 pm. Speaker is Angela Walton-Raji. The presentation is free to the public.
April 14-15
National Archives & Records Administration will host the 6th Annual Genealogy Fair in downtown Washington. Workshops, speakers and representatives from Ancestry and Footnote are among the events scheduled. This is a great chance also to meet local researchers and to learn some new genealogy tips.
Do you research Washington DC?
Have you used the DC Archives? This is the Archives for the District of Columbia. Some wonderful resources to found there, especially information pertaining to Emancipation. Visit their website and explore some interesting history of the nation’s capital.
There is a site that you need to bookmark as an excellent African American resource
www.AfricanAmericanancestors.org is a site maintained by the New England Historical and Genealogical society. Do NOT be thrown off by the reference to New England. There is plenty there for those who research the south. Watch the 16 minute slide show, and also explore some of the links. I found data from Savannah Georgia, Mississippi, and I saw the regimental flag of one of the black Civil War regiments that I research—the Kansas Colored. In addition, there is a wonderful story of Clement Jones who found his family in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, while serving in the war. This data came from the African American Ancestors site. This should become a site to visit often. Book mark it and use it!
As a genealogist, how do you describe yourself? Beginner? Have you been doing it for some time? Well are you a consumer, or a producer? As a researcher you are acquiring new information and as you analyze things, you are creating “new” knowledge. BUT—what are you doing with it? Are you sharing it? What do you plan to do with what you have? Are you researching just to put up a nice chart at a family reunion? You know—there are resources that are far easier to use now to share what you have. Websites are there by the hundreds, and so are blogs. BUT how many of us in the African American community are blogging?
We recently watched 2 months ago what happened with a blogger from Georgia challenged the genealogy community to share data on slaves hidden in private records and bibles. The community responded. Thus, A Friend of Friends was born. HOWEVER, how many from the African American community are out there, among the bloggers? Unfortunately not many. There is no need to remain invisible. There are resources that are out there for us to not only use as consumers, but also to give—for we as researchers can produce new information for others to use. Creating blogs or websites is not as difficult and becoming easier by the day. You are strongly urged to share what you have been researching for so long. We need you and the community needs your information. Let’ step out of our comfort zone and make the first step towards becoming producers as well.
Thanks for listening. I appreciate your being there.
Keep doing what you do.
Keep researching, keep documenting, and it’s time to start sharing what you find.