On Thursday, February 2 – Saturday, February 4, the Georgia Archives and the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS) Metro Atlanta Chapter present the African American History and Genealogy Event. The three-day event will cover the topic of African Americans in Georgia, with a focus on education, history, and genealogy.

On Thursday, February 2 feature speakers will discuss African American education in Georgia.

From 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Collection Archivist Tamika Strong will present “Road to Desegregation: An Overview to Georgia’s Response.” Tamika will provide an overview of the information gathered and presented in a series of workshops and presentations over the last year as a part of a National Endowment of the Arts Grant awarded to the Georgia Archives for its “Georgia’s Response to Desegregation” programming.

From 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Madelyn Nix and Doris Thomas will present “A Moment in Time: A Discussion of School Desegregation.” Both natives of Atlanta, Madelyn and Doris will share firsthand accounts of their experiences with segregated and integrated schools during the time when Georgia was working to desegregate the schools.

Friday, February 3rd will feature speakers discussing African American history in Georgia.

From 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., award-winning author and historian Velma Maia Fann will present “Mamie George Williams: Getting Everything of Value out of it for the Race.” Velma Fann will discuss her research on Mamie George Williams, the first woman to represent Georgia at a Republican National Convention and the first African American woman to serve on the Republican National Committee.

From 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond will present “African Americans in Georgia: A General History.” A Clarke County native and award-winning author of Freedom: Georgia’s Antislavery Heritage, 1733-1865, CEO Thurmond will explore the history of African Americans in Georgia.

Saturday, February 4th will feature a series of presentations divided into two tracks on African American genealogy in Georgia.

Track 1: African American Genealogy Basics. This day-long workshop is designed to introduce participants to the basic principles and methodology of African American genealogy and will cover the beginning steps, locating resources, documenting and evaluating records and creating timelines. The last session of the workshop will offer attendees an opportunity to work one on one with members of AAHGS to receive hands-on assistance with their research. Space is limited. Please use this link to register for Track 1 by January 28: https://forms.office.com/r/t91xXa4Tp6.

Track 2: African American Genealogy in Georgia.

From 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Collection Archivist Tamika Strong will present “Resources to Trace your African American Roots at the Georgia Archives.” An avid researcher and presenter, Tamika will share resources available at the Georgia Archives that can be used to trace the family’s roots.

From 10:45 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Genealogist Doris Posey will present “Analyzing and Evaluating Your Research Documents.” A researcher with more than 25 years of research experience, Doris will share tips on how to analyze and evaluate documents found while conducting genealogy research.

From 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. AAHGS – Metro Atlanta Chapter President Tammy Ozier will present “Researching Enslaved Ancestors in Georgia.” Tammy will share tips and techniques to researching enslaved ancestors learned during the more than 20 years of tracing her own enslaved and free ancestors back to the mid-1700s.

From 2:15 p.m. to 3:15 p.m. Genealogists Janice Bryant and Stephanie Powers will present “Using DNA to Enhance African American Research.” Facilitators of the AAHGS – DNA Special Interest Group, will share how researchers can use DNA results to enhance and supplement their documentary research.

An accompanying exhibit, “Treasures from the Vaults: African American History in Georgia” will be open for viewing. It closes on March 18, 2023.

This event is sponsored in large part by a grant from the Clayton County Tourism Authority.