Saturday morning started with the General Session presented
by our Vice President of History, Ric Murphy. Ric spoke on "Moving Forward with Lessons from 1619". He reminded us that we do the work that we do
‘Not because it's easy, but because it's hard'.
It was also during the General Session that it was announced that the
41st AAHGS Conference in 2020 will be held in Hampton, Virginia. The theme of next year's conference "Virginia:
Where African American Roots Run Deep – Correcting the National Narrative". It's going to be a National Family Reunion
since all roads lead to Virginia.
Today attendees were able to choose from 18 breakout
sessions throughout the day with topics that included: DNA, Methodology, Writing and Publishing, Organizing, and Researching with Google.
Some of today's presenters were Shannon Christmas; Melvin Collier; Robyn
Smith; Phillip Cumming; and Dr. Khadijah Martin.
Today's luncheon speaker was Carroll R. Gibbs. He spoke on "Jamestown, 1619: Crucible, Crossroads and the Importance of
African American History". He reminded
the attendees of the importance of ‘Our History' and ‘Our Voice' in this
turbulent world we are now living in. He
encouraged the attendees to ‘Speak our truth as we never have before, to set a
model for those that come after us’.
Today also included our Awards and Recognition Banquet with
keynote speaker Dr. Mary Elliott. Dr.
Elliott is currently a museum specialist at the Smithsonian's National Museum
of African American History and Culture.
She explained to the attendees that the majority of the collections at
the National Museum of African American History and Culture were acquired from
everyday people that are family historians; much like us who have collected
family and community stories, heirlooms, and artifacts that had been hidden
away under beds, in closets, in attics, in basements, and shoe boxes in their
homes. Also during the banquet, the
AAHGS 2019 National Awards Winners were recognized for their accomplishments in
the preservation of African American history, genealogy, research, and
community service. 2019 Winners are
Sharon Leslie Morgan, Paul Heinegg, Calvin Pearson (Project 1619 Inc.), and
Bernice Bennett.
It's hard to believe that the conference has come to an
end. We had three genealogy fun-filled
days! There was a special kind of
excitement in the air. Everywhere I
looked people were smiling, laughing, hugging, taking selfies, and just
enjoying being together. We are excited
about the 2020 AAHGS Conference in Hampton, Virginia. We are looking forward to having a great
time. Start planning your trip now and
stay in touch with us on all our social media for more information.
Do you know the dates of the 2020 AAHGS conference in Hampton VA? I want to save the dates. Thank you.
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