Welcome back to the African Roots Podcast! You can always reach me at AFRICANROOTSPODCAST@GMAIL.COM
Welcome to April, and welcome to what is officially now springtime! We are having windy weather here in the mid-Atlantic, but glad that rough winter weather is now only a memory.
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Join Me Today on Midday!
First of all I want to invite you all to join me today at 12:00 on WYPR Midday
In advance of Saturday’s program at the Reginald Lewis Museum with Dr. Heather Williams author of the book Help Me To Find My People, WYPR Midday, will feature Dr. Williams on their show. I have been invited to join the host in the studio so that basic genealogical questions can also be discussed. To call in during the show, 410-662-8780 locally, or call toll-free at 1-866-661-9309.
You can listen to the show live from their website: Midday
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Well, I am also busy preparing for a presentation tomorrow in Hyattsville Maryland. I shall be giving a presentation about essential online resources for African American genealogy at the public library in Hyattsville tomorrow afternoon at 2:00 pm. I hope to see friends from Prince George’s County Maryland communities there, and can’t wait to also see what can be shared among all of us!
Tomorrow is also a busy day with a major event going on in Baltimore at the Reginald Lewis Museum. Join the Agnes K. Callum chapter of AAHGS as they host two speakers–Dr. Heather Williams and Prof. Dale Green as they discuss the lives of 19th century African Americans both enslaved and free. The event will occur at 1:00 pm. Click HERE to register.
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Image and story from: WLOX TV, Gulfport, Mississippi
There is a heartwarming story coming out of Gulfport Mississippi. The story is one of a family seeking the burial site of an ancestor. A woman remembers when her grandmother died many decades ago, but over the years the exact burial site has been forgotten. The family has been searching for the burial site for many years. The community heard about her search, and brought in a team of volunteers and search dogs, and sure enough they found not only the cemetery, but the exact headstone they were searching for–that of the grandmother! The story is a wonderful one of collaboration and dedication and how a family mystery of where ancestor was buried, is finally solved.
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Historic Greenwood Cemetery Used as Training Site for K-9
A disturbing cemetery story comes from St. Louis today where apparently a local K9 training unit in St. Louis County has been using the African American Historic Greenwood Cemetery as a training ground for K9 unit. Mrs. Ella Daniels a distinguished elder in St. Louis County, has been directing the cleanup and restoration of this historic burial ground for several years, and has had much support in St. Louis County to assist with the restoration and preservation of this historic site. Among notable burials there is Harriet Scott, wife of Dred Scott of the landmark Freedom case of the 1850s.
It was shared today that while in the midst of attending the cemetery several people with vans, came in, drove over the burial area of Babyland, where infants are buried, claiming that they had permission. They took out the dogs and proceeded to “train” the animals. They then left when finished, with no apology, nor kind words. The story is explained in more detail.
This story is heartbreaking for clearly this is a cemetery, demanding respect, and members of the cemetery board were present who could verify that no permission was given to anyone to train animals on the site. This will be a story to follow and many in the genealogy community as well as the historic preservation community will be following to see if the training of animals at an African American cemetery will be allowed to continue. More information on the Greenwood Cemetery Facebook Group
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New Social Media Group Focuses on Black Benevolent Societies and Fraternal Groups
Thanks to the effort of James Morgan III of Maryland, there is a new group on Facebook that should interest many people. The group is the African American Fraternal & Benevolent Society History. The intent is to present the history of various organizations from the 1700’s to the present and to educate the public about the history of these groups. I have a presentation that I give occasionally on the impact that such groups had on the social lives of our ancestors and how we can learn about their lives through their membership in these groups. James Morgan III, lives in Maryland and serves as the Worshipful Master of Corinthian Lodge #18 in Washington, D.C. and as the Associate Grand Historian of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia. He is presenting some rich history and some amazing images of African Americans as they participated in their various organizations over the past 150 years! He, and Jari Honora of Louisiana will be on Bernice Bennett’s show to discuss how one can add more to the family history by exploring the ancestral ties to many of these groups in the near future.
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Speaking of Bernice Bennett’s show, last night Char McCargo Bah was a featured guest. She discussed various methods of finding enslaved ancestors. She pointed out that researchers need to investigate records intensely and often the answers to some of the pressing questions are right there on records already at hand. From slave schedules, to probate records, to Freedmen’s Bureau, she presented some excellent strategies on how to locate ancestors before 1870. Ms. Bennett’s show airs every Thursday evening at 9pm EST on Blog Talk Radio.
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Question of the week: How well connected are you to the online research community?
Beyond the research platforms, are you connected with members of the various African American Genealogy Groups? There are websites, blogs, and social media groups. A majority are on Facebook, but even within that platform there are smaller groups, group chats and places to post questions and get answers. And there is an active community on Twitter including a growing international African-descended genealogy community, particularly in the Americas!
There are dozens of groups, some focused on a population, others focused on a state or county. Come and join the online community and break through those brick walls.
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Well, thanks for joining me again. I appreciate hearing from you, and I appreciate that you take time from your schedule to tune in.
In the mean time, remember to keep researching, keep documenting and keep sharing what you find!