March 3, 2007 - WRHS-AAGS African-American Genealogy Seminar
It was a very fulfilling day for participants at the seminar sponsored by the Western Reserve Historical Society and African-American Genealogical Society, Cleveland. Kicked off by Associate Curator Susan Hall, the successful venture offered an ideal mix of topics. Archivist Reginald Washington from the National Archives & Records Administration enlightened the audience on beneficial resources, while six additional presenters shared other sources and strategies. It was also refreshing to see youth represented at the sessions. Attendees included a group of Collinwood High School students taking part in a “Cleveland as American History” teaching initiative involving The Cleveland Municipal School District (James Templeman, project coordinator), Kenyon College, and WVIZ/PBS.

Sandra Malitz - “Black Migration Patterns” and Reginald Washington – “Freedman’s Bureau Records” and “Southern Claims Commission”

AAGS member Anita Payne (left) & presenter Alana Baranick (right) – “Obituaries: A Tool of Black History”

Rev. Valentino Lassiter – “African-American Spiritual Past”

Casandra Brown – “Creative Displays”

Marlene Bransom (left) – President of Pittsburgh chapter of AAGHS ; and Dr. Deborah Abbott (right) – “Mining the U.S. Federal Census” and “It’s a Needle in a Haystack: Slave Research”

Collinwood High School students

Bridget Strong presented ”Myths & Legends of Underground Railroad Quilts”