Archives offer ways to learn more about Black heritage

JACKSON, Tenn. — For centuries, the histories of African Americans were hidden, fragmented, or erased, leaving many families disconnected from their roots. But today, technology and archives can help bridge those gaps.

Ancestry is committed to empowering African Americans to learn more about the lives and identities of their ancestors and reclaim their stories, offering access to invaluable resources.

Nicka Sewell-Smith, Ancestry senior story producer and professional genealogist, reminds us that genealogy and family history starts with what you know. The things you’ve collected in your home, photos, documents, certificates, and programs.

“We’re walking around with the personal knowledge and this archive and it’s almost like our own university or college of our family and really, what we’re doing is, we’re setting up a project to commemorate that respective institution and keep it going and keep the knowledge of the information that we gather along the way going for future generations,” said Sewell-Smith.

Organizers say Black History Month is more than a commemoration; it is a call to remember, reclaim and celebrate the achievements of African Americans in U.S. history.

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