Research at the National Archives and Beyond

Join Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely for a conversation about why individuals of African descent should return to the continent of Africa to reclaim and embrace their African Heritage. Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely champions the aspirations of women, youth, education, economic-social development and community relations. Queen Mother Dr. Delois Blakely graduated from the Franciscan Handmaids of Mary College in 1965 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Religious Studies. She has received numerous honors as a Community Fellow (1981-82) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), an Education Policy Fellow (1982-83) of the International Education Leadership (IEL), a Fulbright Scholar in Tanzania and Nigeria (1984-85); Master of Education Degrees from Harvard University (1982), Teachers College and Columbia University (1983) and a Doctorate of Education Degree from Teachers College (1990).   Opening Music: Sweet Mellow Spice by AK Alexander Productions, Inc.

James R. Morgan III is a graduate of the Howard University in Washington, D.C. where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications and Africana Studies in 2011. James is an active Prince Hall Freemason and as such he serves as Worshipful Grand Historian & Archivist of the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of the District of Columbia James is an active and experienced genealogist and is a member of the James Dent Walker Chapter of the African American Historical and Genealogical Society. He has presented at the 2016 International Black Genealogy Symposium as well as at the 2019 National Conference of the African American Historical and Genealogcal Society (AAHGS). James serves as a contributing scholar to the Bishop Henry McNeal Turner Project and is the author of The Lost Empire: Black Freemasonry in the Old West (1867-1906). James is a Co-Panelist on both Black ProGen-Live and the Prince Hall Think Tank, both of which can be found on Youtube.

In 2017, an enslaver's descendant found his 1841 will naming eleven enslaved African Americans. She started trying to research them, and quickly found the difficulties confronting those seeking their African-American ancestors' stories. When she realized she had access to information they would have trouble finding, she created a website -- TheyHadNames.net -- to document the many African-American names found in antebellum Liberty County records. More than 5,000 names from wills, estate inventories, bills of sale, deeds of collateral, and church records have so far been added to the site. These names are missing from other published compilations of these records. The eleven enslaved people who inspired the site have not been forgotten. The search continues but so far five of their descendants now have their family history back to 1793. Stacy Ashmore Cole retired from the federal civil service in 2014 to Brunswick, Georgia. She began researching her family history, a hobby that quickly turned into an obsession, especially once she discovered that her paternal ancestors were all from the Georgia counties of Liberty, Dooly and Wilcox. She has since become secretary of the Liberty County's Midway Museum Board of Governors, and president of the Coastal Georgia Genealogical Society (CGGS). Combining an interest in social media with a love of genealogy and history, she developed the Midway Museum, CGGS and her own TheyHadNames.net web pages, and is an administrator for the CGGS, Midway Museum, and Liberty County Historical Society Facebook pages/groups. She is also the host of GenealogyTrail.com's Liberty County page, and was a speaker at the 2018 annual Susie King Taylor Mami Wata Rising conference in Midway, Georgia.

By Any Other Name: An Exploration of Afro-Amerindian Heritage is a documentary film that discusses the interactions between Africans and American Indians from in the United States, with an emphasis on the state of Georgia in the 18th through the 20th Centuries. Steven D. Gayle is a filmmaker and educator originally from Philadelphia, PA now residing in the Atlanta area. Steven earned his Bachelor’s in History Education from The University of North Carolina at Pembroke and a Master of Arts in Media and Communications from Norfolk State University. He is currently pursuing his PhD in International Conflict Management at Kennesaw State University. He has worked in the educational and media production fields for nearly a decade and is constantly seeking new ways to incorporate the two disciplines in different formats. In 2011 he co-produced, co-Wrote and directed the feature-length documentary about the musical history of Hampton Roads Virginia entitled, "7 City Legacy," which is now in the College of William and Mary's Special Collections Archive. Most recently he has shifted his focus on research related to African and Native American history and genealogy with his latest project, "By Any Other Name: An Exploration of Afro-Amerindian Heritage." This film received the 'Inventos Award' at the FistUp Film Festival in Berkeley, CA, and 'Best Feature' at the Warsaw Avenue Film Festival in Cincinnati, OH. It has also been screened at the 20th Native American Film Festival of the Southeast, the Native Spirit Film festival in London and the Apex Museum in Atlanta. It is Steven’s intention that "By Any Other Name" stands as a meaningful contribution in the realm of historical documentary and in understanding both the African American and Native American diasporas.

The panelist will focus on Indian Territory Freedmen Family History and resources. Angela Walton-Raji is known nationally for her genealogical and historical research and work on Civil War west of the Mississippi, as well as her work on Oklahoma Native-American records. Her book, “Black Indian Genealogy Research” is the only book of its kind focusing on the unique record set reflecting Freedmen found within the Dawes Records. She also includes several chapters and documents in her book, focusing on the records that reflect Blended Families, African and Native American families in many households. Ronald Graham, Sr. was born and raised in Okmulgee, Oklahoma. His father Theodore Graham was an original allottee, roll number Creek Freedmen newborn 671. He's also a direct descendant of: Hutton/Grayson, Corbray and McGilbray. All were Muscogee(Creek) nation citizen's. Terry Ligon is a history and genealogical researcher who has dedicated twenty eight years researching Freedmen of Indian Territory. One area of expertise has been the research what is known as Equity Case 7071- Bettie Ligon et al. vs the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and the Department of Interior. Nicka Smith is a professional photographer, speaker, host, and documentarian with more than 18 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in African ancestored genealogy, reverse genealogy, and family reunion planning and execution. Her family in the Cherokee Nation is well documented.