Returning to AAHGS News

If you are a current AAHGS member, you may have heard that I am returning to the News as the Editor.  Myself and Marsha Bembry, Assistant Editor,  are looking forward to providing the AAHGS membership with the latest news and events from around the country!

If you have any questions, concerns or would like to submit something for consideration for publication in the News please send it via email to aahgsnews@yahoo.com .

AAHGS ANNUAL CONFERENCE CALL FOR PAPERS 2010

The Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society (AAHGS) is pleased to announce the 2010 Conference Call for Papers, to be presented at our next Annual Conference, 7-10 October 2010, in Adelphia, Maryland.  The AAHGS Conference endeavors each year to provide the premier opportunity to explore standard and innovative methods, resources, and strategies centered around African-American, Caribbean and Native American genealogy as well as the expansive history of the African in the Diaspora.

The following focus areas are offered as suggestions for session topics

·       African American History

·       Caribbean-American Research

·       African American Migration (varied)

·       Periods of War: Revolutionary War; Civil War; WWI; WWII;

·       African Americans in New England, Pre-Civil War

·       Use of Technology in research (Not product sales presentations)

·       Church/Religious History in the African American Experience

·       The Civil Rights Movement

·       Research methodologies (various levels)

·       State Specific Research Resources; Adoption Records

·       Local history, i.e. town histories; institutions; industrial history as it relates to the African American experience

·       Native American/African American experience

·       Blacks in the West;

The topics are merely suggestions. We are looking for presenters that have solidly researched their topic area, are able to inform a diverse audience and deliver insightful and enjoyable presentations.  Authors and possible candidates for keynote and general assembly gatherings may also submit their proposals.

Proposal Format:

I.             Session Title

II.            Name(s) of Session Presenters – indicate lead

III.          Research skill level of audience

IV.          Purpose/learning objective

V.            Session description- Provide narrative of information to be covered in the presentation  (This information will be included in the Conference Syllabus).

VI.          Include presenter(s) biographical information.

VII.         Include list of resources and/or bibliography.

VIII.       AV Requirements (this must be included in your initial proposal):

Please indicate the type of audio/visual equipment that will be required for your presentation. Examples:

§      I will be using Power Point for my presentation. I will bring my own laptop, but will need a projector

§      I will use Power Point and will provide my own equipment

§      I am using Power Point and will need a laptop, and projector from AAHGS.

Finally indicate if you need an overhead projector, slide projector, TV/VCR, DVD, flip chart, portable sound system, microphone, table or podium.

Considerations:

1.     All presenters agree to participate at their own expense. A token of appreciation is offered, however it does not cover conference costs. Please take this into consideration before submitting or agreeing to participate.

2.     Session materials, bios, etc will be included in the Conference Syllabus.

Proposals must be received no later than 30 July 2010 and should not exceed 12 pages.  Proposals must include  all required information, including: your complete name; email address; telephone number(s); and postal mail address.   Notice of acceptance or rejection will be sent by 15 August 2010.

Presenters may submit proposals via postal mail or by email.  Material submitted via email must be in Microsoft® Word format. Proposals submitted via email should be sent to <info@aahgs.org> with “2010 AAHGS Conference” in the subject line.  Proposals submitted by postal mail should be sent to: AAHGS 2010 Annual Conference, PO Box 73067, Washington, D.C. 20056.

For additional information or with questions about the submission requirements, contact: Jerry Hynson, AAHGS Vice President of History, at <jerryhyn@copper.net>.  Do not email conference proposals to Jerry’s email address; send proposals to <info@aahgs.org> with “2010 AAHGS Conference” in the subject line.

Latest Issue of the AAHGS Journal Now Available to Members

At long last, the Journal of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society has come back!  Articles featured in Volume 26, Issue 1 are:

Narrative of a Former Slave’s Recollection, by Patricia Carter Slubly

Register of Colored Persons of Smyth County, State of Virginia Cohabitating Together as Husband and Wife on 27th February 1866, by Jeff Weaver

George William Warfield (1837-1919) Ex-Slave and Civil War Veteran, by Carolyn Warfield

Fugitives from Enslavement as Abstracted from Price George’s County Commissioner of Slave Statistics, by Patsy Fletcher

“Sketch of the Life and Labors of Rev. Henry Highland Garnet” A Second Look, by Kathleen Vlesor, Ed.D

Finding Emma Pullen, by Debora Pullen Plunkett

Guilford Hervey and Descendants, by Jacqueline E. A. Lawson and Cynthia A. W. Wilson

Along with the above, a call for historical and genealogical papers to submit to the journal on the theme of “African American Lives in Context” as well as book reviews on The Segregated scholars:  Black Social Scientists and the Creation of Black Labor Studies, 1890-1950, Francille Rusan Wilson (2006); and Clinging to Mammy:  The Faithful Slave in Twentieth-Century America, Micki McElya (2007) are included.

It’s great to see the Journal back up and running again!

African American Anthem

My friend Leona Martin, President of the AAHGS New England Chapter, forwarded this link – it is a four minute and fifty-eight second YouTube video sung by Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir on inauguration day in Mount Vernon, New York. In a microcosm it shows a timeline of African American history – how many historical moments and figures can you recognize?

Thank you Leona for sharing this beautiful and powerful video with us.

July/August Issue of AAHGS News Out

The July/August 2008 issue of AAHGS Newsis at the printer.  Featured in this issue, available to AAHGS members or by purchasing an issue at the website www.aahgs.org, is our annual conference promotion and schedule. 

The conference will be held on the 6-9 November 2008 at Marriott Inn and Conference Center on the University of Maryland campus in Adelphi, Maryland.  The luncheons at the conference will be hosted by local authors including Thomas Battle, Donna Wells, Bertie Bowman, Ta-Nehisi Coates, C.R. Gibbs, Rohulamin Quander, and Psyche Williams-Forson.   

Registration should be postmarked no later than September 15th to get the discounted rate of $325 (members) or $365 (non-members) for all three days including all meals on Friday and Saturday, snacks, and Sunday brunch.  Registrations for the full conference after the deadline will be $400 (members) or $435 (non-members).  If you cannot attend the entire conference, a day rate is offered for members and non-members with a choice of meals/no meals. 

See the website at www.aahgs.org for more details.

AAHGS News Deadline: July 5th

Just a reminder for those who wish to submit articles for consideration that the deadline for the July/August 2008 issue is July 5th.  Thank you to all of the people who take the time and energy to commit their thoughts to paper and share them willingly with our membership.  Without your contributions, the newsletter would cease to exist.  Editing the News has been an educational experience.  The depth and breadth of knowledge possessed by our members never fails to amaze me issue after issue.  The September/October issue will mark my one year anniversary as Editor.  I cannot wait to see what the next year brings.