Welcome back to the African Roots Podcast!  You can reach me HERE.

Well I am back here in Maryland and delighted to be back home after a great weekend in California for the Genealogy Jamboree! It was a wonderful experience.

But I am now back on the east coast and looking forward now to the summer events! This is June and this is a season to really appreciate. This time 150 years ago our ancestors were negotiating a new life agasint a backdrop of freedom. What did that involve? That was an incredible time and they went through some difficult years, even with the joys that freedom brought. So let’s be thankful for this time!

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INVITATION–Webinar Introduction to the Freedmen’s Bureau

If you did not get a chance to catch my webinar earlier today, you can listen for free for 1 week at www.familytreewebinars.com.

The webinar was today at 2pm EDT with Legacy’s  Family Tree Webinars. I had the honor to present a webinar on the Freedmen’s Bureau records. How familiar are you with the records from the Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen and Abandoned Lands? This is the time to learn more about them if you are not familiar with them.  Tune in on their website where you can listen to it for free for the next week.

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Hampton Virginia Honors Those Lost in the Middle Passage

Those in the Tidewater area of Virginia are encouraged to go to Buckroe beach tomorrow at 11 am for the special ceremony. That area in Virginia is actually a “ground zero” for so much of our history. Point Comfort is where people landed in 1619, and Ft. Monroe is where the “contrabands” began. Tomorrow’s ceremony will begin at 11 am. All are encouraged to come, to wear white and bring an offering of flowers or fruit.
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Lexington Kentucky Celebrates Juneteenth

From Kentucky comes the word that next Saturday the Kentucky AAGG, (African American Genealogy Group)  will be hosting a Juneteenth Celebration honoring 67 men of the 12^th Heavy Artillery Regiment. In 2005 the group  honored 49 men, and now several  years later, after continuing with their research, they are now honoring 67 men. The event is next Saturday from 10-12 at 419 East 7^th Street, Lexington KY. More information Here.
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Speaking of Juneteenth and freedom, next weekend the Prince George’s County Maryland chapter of AAHGS will be hosting their 11th Juneteenth celebration. Nine workshops throughout the day will be presented at the Watkins Regional Park Nature Center. All day the events are free, and in addition, there are activities for children the entire day as well. I plan to be there and to present as well, and am excited about joining others in the event! Do plan to take the time to celebrate freedom, and to enjoy some time with your genea-friends as well. Registration forms are found HERE.

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Did you catch last night’s episode of Bernice Bennett’s show?  Last night’s episode provided an interesting discussion about the lives and experiences of people who made it to Canada via the underground railroad.  Her guest was Dr. Adam Aronson. He discussed the experiences of African Americans who crossed into Canada during the era of slavery, emancipation, Civil War and Reconstruction. He is currently researching information for a book about Afro-Canadians who crossed the border during and after the Civil War. If you missed it, then tune in and catch the podcast! It was a fascinating topic. Her show airs every Thursday at 9pm eastern time.

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Well it is time for me to wrap it up for this week. Thank you all for tuning in,  you are always appreciated. You have things to do yet still take time to tune in, and tos hare announcements and news items with me. For that I am always grateful. In the meantime, have a great week, and remember to keep researching, keep documenting, and always, keep sharing what you find.

 

 

 

Welcome back to the African Roots Podcast! This week I am coming to you from Burbank California and I am here for the 47th annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree! I am honored to be here once again and honored to be giving two presentations at this event! There is once again, an African American Track, and similar to the German and Eastern European track there will be session on all things from DNA to special record collections and beyond! I am also honored to be among a fascinating roster of speakers, and this year promises to be even more exciting than ever.

But today—-I am thrilled to have a special guest!!! Nicka Smith, who is here from Tennessee is my guest today, and she too is presenting. She presented  yesterday at DNA day, and she is going to continue sharing her skills with the audience two more times!

We are discussing DNA, the future of DNA & genealogy, advice for first time conference attendees, and more!

Listen to Nicka as she shares her insights with you the listening audience!

Meanwhile, I am sharing a few images from the conference with you as things get underway!

Thank you for tuning in this week, and thank you for taking time from your day and for sharing notes and events with me. I shall be catching upon scheduled events next week when I return to Maryland,

In the meantime, remember to keep researching, keep documenting and keep sharing what you find.

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Images from the Jamboree!

From the Exhibit Hall

Great to See two MAAGI Alumnae: Ophelia Sander and Norma Bates

African American Roundtable in the Pavillion