African Roots Podcast Episode #360 February 26, 2016

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Welcome to the African Roots Podcast! (You can always reach me HERE.)

I want to thank everyone in MD and DC who helped to make last week’s conference in Laurel MD a success. I felt that I was received warmly and I felt that the speakers whom I heard were truly wonderful. They had such information to share and were in such control of the rich data that they shared. It was a honor to give the keynote address and a joy to sit in on several outstanding sessions throughout the day. Again, thank you to everyone!
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The Social Life of DNA


Well, DNA is the most ongoing topic these days and this week there were two interesting discussions about DNA. Last night, on Bernice Bennett’s showher guest was Dr. Alondra Nelson author of ">The Social Life of DNA.

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What unfolded was an interesting discussion on this book and how DNA is now a critical part of the social fabric of many families today. An interesting discussion on identity, reparations and the different tests as well unfolded. If you missed the broadcast last night, please tune in to catch the broadcast as a podcast today! Good discussion.

 

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Black Pro Gen Hangout – Feb 24th
Earlier this week the second Black Pro Gen google hangout unfolded! This was reviewing the episode of Finding Your Roots from last week, where DNA unfolded an amazing story where one of the guests learned that his grandparents had no biological connection to him. We discussed in that hangout, the emotional side of  DNA, and the emotional impact that such tests can bring. The hangout is hosted by Nicka Sewell-Smith, and the discussion was frank and honest, and many concerns were expressed by all regarding the responsibility of family researchers, and how to proceed as DNA testing evolves.

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New Genealogy TV series emerges!

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Relative Race!

Now this is quite different! A new genealogy TV series is coming as a competition–a race. This is literally a race from San Francisco California to New York and consists of four teams comprised of couples seeking family, and new relatives. One of the couples is an interracial couple that has an interesting with a 20 year age difference, and unique family story to tell. Cameras will follow the four teams as they travel across the country. They will have only paper maps, a rental car, and a $25 per diem and a not-very-smart phone–an old fashioned flip phone. They will be using info from AncestryDNA to meet their new relatives to meet complete strangers–and this is interesting–to stay with them. There are challenges that they have to tackle along the way, or get strikes against them if they are not successful. After three strikes they are eliminated and the other couples continue their journey..

This show will air Sunday February 28, on BYU-TV. Now—I know many do not have access to BYU-TV, but you can download the stream app to watch it unfold online. I did watch the trailer and have had a glimpse of the program. It combines genealogy with the competition, and it is quite interesting!  For more information visit Relative Race.

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Well I am between presentations for a while, but while I have a time to slow down a bit, I am catching up on reading. I am undertaking a book that I try to re-read once a year. This is a book that inspires me, and that encourages me to look for not only the family history, but the community history. I am referring to Somerset Homecoming, by Dorothy Spruill Redford. This work hightlights her journey, in part memoir form reflecting her youth, the days where she made the big discovery and found the plantation from which her ancestors came. It made me excited to read many years ago, and I still feel the excitement right now as I find it inspiring. She employed multiple record sets to find her ancestral story, and it continues to inspire me, to this day.

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Believe it or not, March quickly approaches, and this time next week, I shall come to you from Charlottesville, Virginia where I will be there to speak at the Jefferson School Heritage Center, in Charlottesville Virginia. I am looking forward to going there and meeting my good friend Dr. Shelley Murphy, (aka familytreegirl) and shall be talking about the new website, “Mapping the Freedmen’s Bureau.” This promises to be quite exciting and I am truly looking forward to being there.

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New Database Reveals Lives of Escaped Slaves
Well, a new database will soon be released about slaves seeking freedom in the British empire. It is called, Runaway Slaves in Britian: bondage, freedom and race in the eighteenth century. This promises to be a useful site and it speaks about a seldom mentioned topic–slaves held by British citizens, and their role in the Atlantic slave trade.

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Well, time to wind down for this week. Once again thank you for tuning in, and know that you are appreciated for taking time from your own schedule to tune in. Have a great week, and remember to keep researching, keep documenting, and keep sharing what you find!

African Roots Podcast Episode #359 February 19, 2016

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Welcome back to episode #369 of the African Roots Podcast! You can reach me at AfricanRootsPodcast@gmail.com. Today is a special episode of the podcast! I am welcoming Dr. Shelley Murphy aka familytreegirl, and we are here to have a lively chat about a number of topics! 
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Today’s episode is a discussion between Shelley and myself of upcoming events. She is here for a conference tomorrow in Laurel MD. We are here today to chat about the Black History Month, the AAHGS Regional conference tomorrow in Laurel MD. Information on the conference can be found here.MAAGI 2016 New LogoMAAGI

We are also here to discuss MAAGI, an African American focused institute that is on its way to the Genealogy Center at the Allen County Public Library. This institute is now in its 4th year and being at ACPL for 2016, will allow participants to take full advantage of this major research facility. We are more than thrilled and are sharing our excitement in our conversation about plans for MAAGI.

Well—this week there has been much discussion about this week’s episode of the PBS program Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates. We are discussing the LL Cool J episode with the DNA findings, the use of slave schedules and the need for responsible use of the slave document and the “same as slave holder surname” issue.

And stay tuned—withing the next few weeks we will be announcing “Digging The Roots” – a talk program where Shelley and myself will be discussing issues of the day from a genealogy perspective! You heard it here first, so stand by!

And thank you all for tuning in, and know that you are appreciated! In the meantime, please remember to keep researching, keep documenting and keep sharing what you find!