Join hosts Janice and Cherekana for a conversation with Melvin J. Collier, Author, Genealogist, Presenter, and Blogger.  Melvin will share information regarding his website:  Roots Revealed and his book, 150 Years Later: Broken Ties Mended.

Melvin J. Collier has been conducting historical and genealogical research for over 25 years, starting at the age of 19. He is a former civil engineer, who used his passion for African American history and historical preservation to foster a career change. He then earned a Master of Arts degree in African American Studies, Clark Atlanta University, in 2008, with additional graduate coursework in Archival Studies from Clayton State University.

Join hosts Janice and Cherekana for a conversation with author, Kathy Marshall:  Lots of Roots investigation led Kathy Marshall on another thrilling journey into her family’s tangled historical past, finding black and white ancestors she’d never known, leading to places she’d never been, and uncovering secrets that did not want to be told.

The family only knew that Grandpa Austin Marshall smoked sweet-smelling cigars, sported a white linen suit, jingled coins in his pockets, and was born in Columbus, Georgia. So how did he put his son through medical school on a Pullman porter’s salary? Marshall will share some of her research methodologies, which may help you find results too.

Join hosts Janice and Cherekana for a conversation with author, Kathy Marshall:  Lots of Roots investigation led Kathy Marshall on another thrilling journey into her family’s tangled historical past, finding black and white ancestors she’d never known, leading to places she’d never been, and uncovering secrets that did not want to be told.

The family only knew that Grandpa Austin Marshall smoked sweet-smelling cigars, sported a white linen suit, jingled coins in his pockets, and was born in Columbus, Georgia. So how did he put his son through medical school on a Pullman porter’s salary? Marshall will share some of her research methodologies, which may help you find results too.

Join host Janice and Cherekana for a conversation with Warren Eugene Milteer Jr, Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.  We will discuss his new book, Beyond Slavery’s Shadow: Free People of Color in the South.

Warren is also the author of North Carolina’s Free People of Color, 1715-1885 (LSU Press, 2020), the independently published Hertford County, North Carolina’s Free People of Color and Their Descendants (2016), as well as articles in the Journal of Social History and the North Carolina Historical Review. Milteer was the recipient of the Historical Society of North Carolina’s R. D. W. Connor Award in 2014 and 2016 for the best journal article in the North Carolina Historical Review.

Join hosts Janice and Cerekana of Speak On It! for a conversation with Rodney Sam about the Legacy: Marie Senegal - his African Ancestor.

Marie is Rodney Sam's paternal 7th great-grandmother and the oldest known ancestor of African descent.  She was born in 1699 in Africa and was in the French colony of Louisiana by the 1720s. She is described as "Marie Senegal" and was emancipated out of slavery in 1769 by Andre Masse, an early French trader, and rancher, in Louisiana with her family. Rodney descends from her daughter, Marie-Flore, who was manumitted over a decade earlier.

Rodney Sam is a graduate of Prairie View A&M University. His family has deep Louisiana Creole roots that extend to the beginning of the colony. He is passionate about learning about the history, genealogy, and culture of his Louisiana Creole ancestors.

Join Hosts Janice and Cherekana of Speak On It ! for a conversation with Frederick DeShon Murphy.

At History Before Us, we understand the importance of history to our collective humanity and we are committed to collecting and preserving it. We are born from many years of family research and a passion for preserving the oral stories taken from the people before us who were part of certain periods of history. With careful attention to historical events came a burning desire to share the knowledge gained via various modalities of education.

Our goal is to preserve for future generations, these valuable stories, and experiences that will never return. We are committed to making sure that the masses have insight into historical events with the firm belief historical knowledge provides a background for making solid decisions in the future. As the old saying goes, “he who refuses to learn from the past is doomed to repeat it.” History Before Us understands that history is the lens through which we can put our present experiences into perspective. It is the one thing that shows us who we truly are, and how we arrived at our present state of being.

Website: http://www.historybeforeus.com

Documentary: http://americansouthfilm.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryBeforeUs/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryBeforeUs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historybeforeus

Join Hosts Janice and Cherekana of Speak On It ! for a conversation with Frederick DeShon Murphy.

At History Before Us, we understand the importance of history to our collective humanity and we are committed to collecting and preserving it. We are born from many years of family research and a passion for preserving the oral stories taken from the people before us who were part of certain periods of history. With careful attention to historical events came a burning desire to share the knowledge gained via various modalities of education.

Our goal is to preserve for future generations, these valuable stories, and experiences that will never return. We are committed to making sure that the masses have insight into historical events with the firm belief historical knowledge provides a background for making solid decisions in the future. As the old saying goes, “he who refuses to learn from the past is doomed to repeat it.” History Before Us understands that history is the lens through which we can put our present experiences into perspective. It is the one thing that shows us who we truly are, and how we arrived at our present state of being.

Website: http://www.historybeforeus.com

Documentary: http://americansouthfilm.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HistoryBeforeUs/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HistoryBeforeUs

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/historybeforeus

Join Hosts Janice and Cherekana of Speak On It ! for a conversation with Desi L. Campbell.

The African American Experience is a vehicle to serve African Americans in genealogical research through various workshops, seminars that will enable them to pursue their own family history and create a lasting presentation of their findings. We encourage African Americans to have a sense of pride and dignity based on their cultural heritage and to assist them in acquiring a growing cultural awareness. We develop sustainable initiatives that examine the African American Experience through genealogy research.

Desi is on a mission to help African Americans discover their family history beyond 1870.  His experience in researching wills, probate records, and deeds enables researchers to discover information prior to their ancestor’s freedom. Desi also uses his experiences with ancestry DNA, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA, and GEDmatch to connect relatives of his clients that may not know who they are.

Join Hosts Janice and Cherekana of Speak On It ! for a conversation with Desi L. Campbell.

The African American Experience is a vehicle to serve African Americans in genealogical research through various workshops, seminars that will enable them to pursue their own family history and create a lasting presentation of their findings. We encourage African Americans to have a sense of pride and dignity based on their cultural heritage and to assist them in acquiring a growing cultural awareness. We develop sustainable initiatives that examine the African American Experience through genealogy research.

Desi is on a mission to help African Americans discover their family history beyond 1870.  His experience in researching wills, probate records, and deeds enables researchers to discover information prior to their ancestor’s freedom. Desi also uses his experiences with ancestry DNA, 23 and Me, Family Tree DNA, and GEDmatch to connect relatives of his clients that may not know who they are.

Join Hosts Janice and Cherekana of Speak On It ! for a conversation with Taneya Y. Koonce and Renate Yarborough Sanders about North Carolina Genealogy.

Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy! is a platform hosted by Renate Yarborough Sanders and Taneya Y. Koonce. Initially created in June 2020, as a one summer YouTube show to support and provide North Carolina-focused genealogical education for researchers, the initiative has now grown to include an interactive Facebook page, occasional special programming, and a monthly Research Chat, using Zoom,  which has strengthened the  mission to provide a caring, supportive and educationally-enriched community of and for North Carolina researchers. And, by popular demand, Let’s Talk North Carolina Genealogy! returned in 2021 with Season 2 of its summer series and will continue the chats through December of this year.