Witness To Change - From Jim Crow to Political Empowerment

Sybil Haydel Morial is an activist and community leader in New Orleans.  She spent her career in the education field, first, as a public school teacher and later as an administrator at Xavier University.

Sybil’s memoir reveals a woman whose intelligence overrides the clichés of racial division. In its pages, we catch rare glimpses of black professionals in an earlier New Orleans, when races, though socially isolated, lived side by side; when social connections helped to circumvent Jim Crow; when African-American culture forged New Orleans—and American—identity.

Through loving eyes, Sybil traces the rise of her sons and daughters: After Dutch’s death, Marc Morial served two terms as New Orleans mayor. Sybil’s other children—a physician, a public policy strategist, a community development director, and a judge—lead and serve their communities before, and after, Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.

The New Orleans Tribune: An Introduction to America's First Black Daily Newspaper

Mark Charles Roudané was born in New Orleans and currently resides in St. Paul, Minnesota.  An educator, author, and public speaker, Mr. Roudané’s recent release, The New Orleans Tribune, An Introduction to America’s First Black Daily Newspaper, has sold over 800 copies.  His articles have appeared in numerous journals including the Atlantic magazine South Atlantic Review and the Journal of the Louisiana Creole Research Association.  Mr. Roudané was featured as the keynote speaker at the 150th Anniversary of the Tribune at Dillard University and recently presented lectures on Tribune history at Savannah State University, the Louisiana Public History Forum at Southern University of New Orleans, and the Louisiana Creole Research Association.

Mark's roots are in Africa, France, Haiti, and Louisiana.  His 4th great paternal and maternal grandmothers were enslaved in Saint-Domingue (now Haiti).  Both had children with French colonists.  Their descendants lived as free people of color in Louisiana, including Jean Baptiste Roudanez, the publisher of the New Orleans Tribune, and Louis Charles Roudanez, the newspaper’s founder and his great, great grandfather.  Mark's father, also named Louis Charles Roudanez, was the first to be listed as white on his birth certificate.  His paternal ancestry was hidden from him, and he did not discover the Afro-Creole roots until after his death. Inspired by his heritage, Mark  spent the last several years passionately reading and researching the South’s first Black newspaper, L’Union, and America’s first Black daily newspaper, the New Orleans Tribune.

Join Producer and Host Bernice Alexander Bennett to Celebrate 5 years of broadcasting on Blogtalkradio.  Former guest will share their insights on genealogical research.

I got my start as a broadcaster under the tutelage of Antoinette Harrell – Producer and Host of Nurturing Our Roots Blogtalkradio. I spent two months  broadcasting  on the Nurturing Our Roots show and my first guest was Melvin J. Collier, author of Mississippi to Africa and 150 Years Later Broken Ties Mended.

Research at the National Archives and Beyond! Blogtalkradio first aired on November 4, 2011 with guest Lieutenant Commander Michael N. Henderson, U.S. Navy Retired. The show opened with the theme song Sweet Mello Spice by AK Alexander Productions.

Valencia King Nelson and B.J. Smothers of Afrigeneas.com provided the first sponsorship for the broadcast.  With no additional sponsors, my commitment to genealogy and history was then self - supported.

With 265 episodes, Research at the National Archives and Beyond! Blogtalkradio offered numerous authors, historians, genealogist, genetics genealogist, storytellers, film producers, and others the opportunity to share their passion on my show. 

Many of my shows have been featured on the Blogtalkradio show homepage and the Popular in History section for live broadcast. This show is also available as a podcast on itunes.com, Stitcher.com, Tunein.com, Podcast.com and Podfanatic.com.

Individuals interested in supporting this show can click the donation button at www.geniebroots.com.

Join Producer and Host Bernice Alexander Bennett to Celebrate 5 years of broadcasting on Blogtalkradio.  Former guest will share their insights on genealogical research.

I got my start as a broadcaster under the tutelage of Antoinette Harrell – Producer and Host of Nurturing Our Roots Blogtalkradio. I spent two months  broadcasting  on the Nurturing Our Roots show and my first guest was Melvin J. Collier, author of Mississippi to Africa and 150 Years Later Broken Ties Mended.

Research at the National Archives and Beyond! Blogtalkradio first aired on November 4, 2011 with guest Lieutenant Commander Michael N. Henderson, U.S. Navy Retired. The show opened with the theme song Sweet Mello Spice by AK Alexander Productions.

Valencia King Nelson and B.J. Smothers of Afrigeneas.com provided the first sponsorship for the broadcast.  With no additional sponsors, my commitment to genealogy and history was then self - supported.

With 265 episodes, Research at the National Archives and Beyond! Blogtalkradio offered numerous authors, historians, genealogist, genetics genealogist, storytellers, film producers, and others the opportunity to share their passion on my show. 

Many of my shows have been featured on the Blogtalkradio show homepage and the Popular in History section for live broadcast. This show is also available as a podcast on itunes.com, Stitcher.com, Tunein.com, Podcast.com and Podfanatic.com.

Individuals interested in supporting this show can click the donation button at www.geniebroots.com.

Amy Johnson Crow is a Certified Genealogist with a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. She  regularly speaks at the industry’s top events throughout the year, including the Federation of Genealogical Societies and RootsTech, as well as state and regional events. She previously served as series editor for the National Genealogical Society Guides, published by Rutledge Hill Press and have served on several national and state boards.

Amy Johnson Crow is a Certified Genealogist with a Masters degree in Library and Information Science. She  regularly speaks at the industry’s top events throughout the year, including the Federation of Genealogical Societies and RootsTech, as well as state and regional events. She previously served as series editor for the National Genealogical Society Guides, published by Rutledge Hill Press and have served on several national and state boards.

Rebroadcast

The Black Russian with Valdimir Alexandrov, Ph.D.

The Black Russian tells the story of Frederick Bruce Thomas, who was born in 1872 to former slaves and spent his youth on his family’s farm in Mississippi.  After leaving the South and working as a waiter and valet in Chicago and Brooklyn, he went to London in 1894, then traveled throughout Europe, and decided to go to Russia in 1899, all of which was highly unusual for a black American at the time.  He chose Moscow as his home, and during the next nineteen years renamed himself “Fyodor Fyodorovich Tomas,” married twice, acquired a mistress, took Russian citizenship, and by dint of his talents, hard work, charm, and guile became one of the city’s richest and most famous owners of variety theaters and restaurants.  The Bolshevik Revolution ruined him and he barely escaped with his life and family to Turkey in 1919.  Starting with just a handful of dollars out of the millions he had lost, Thomas made a second fortune in Constantinople by opening a series of celebrated nightclubs that introduced jazz to Turkey.  However, because of the long arm of American racism, the xenophobia of the new Turkish Republic, and his own extravagance, he fell on hard times, was thrown into debtor's prison and died in Constantinople in 1928.

Dr. Alexandrov is the B. E. Bensinger Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Acting Chair, Slavic Department at Yale University. www.valexandrov.com

Have you just had your DNA tested with one of the DNA companies and you are unsure what to do with your results?

Named an “essential blog for genetic genealogy education” by the Board of Certification for Genealogists, Through The Trees is a blog for genealogy enthusiasts seeking to locate and leverage new tools and emerging technologies to break through genealogical brick walls.

Shannon Christmas, is an experienced genealogist specializing in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas. He serves as a 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador, administrator of The Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown Autosomal DNA Project, and as a co-administrator of The Hemings-Jefferson-Wayles-Eppes Autosomal DNA Project. 

 

Shannon was invited to participate in the American Society of Human Genetics’ Roundtable on Genetic Ancestry Inference and investigated the genetic lineage of Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder of Virginia. He presented his findings at The 2015 Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society’s National Conference in Richmond, Virginia.  He is also faculty for the DNA track with MAGGI.

Have you just had your DNA tested with one of the DNA companies and you are unsure what to do with your results?

Named an “essential blog for genetic genealogy education” by the Board of Certification for Genealogists, Through The Trees is a blog for genealogy enthusiasts seeking to locate and leverage new tools and emerging technologies to break through genealogical brick walls.

Shannon Christmas, is an experienced genealogist specializing in genetic, colonial American, and African-American genealogy in Virginia and the Carolinas. He serves as a 23andMe Ancestry Ambassador, administrator of The Captain Thomas Graves of Jamestown Autosomal DNA Project, and as a co-administrator of The Hemings-Jefferson-Wayles-Eppes Autosomal DNA Project. 

 

Shannon was invited to participate in the American Society of Human Genetics’ Roundtable on Genetic Ancestry Inference and investigated the genetic lineage of Governor Lawrence Douglas Wilder of Virginia. He presented his findings at The 2015 Afro-American Genealogical and Historical Society’s National Conference in Richmond, Virginia.  He is also faculty for the DNA track with MAGGI.

MARY M. TEDESCO is a professional genealogist, speaker, and author. She is a Host / Genealogist on the PBS TV series “Genealogy Roadshow” (season 2 & season 3) as well as the Founder of ORIGINS ITALY. Mary speaks fluent Italian and travels often to Italy to conduct client genealogical research and visit family. Mary is the co-author of “Tracing Your Italian Ancestors” an 84-page Italian research guide published by Moorshead Magazines. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Boston University and a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education. In addition to her Italian ancestry (Calabria, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Tuscany) on her father’s side, she also has deep American roots (German, Irish, Danish & English) on her mother’s side and is a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Mary is a member of a number of local and national genealogical societies. 

She holds a BA, Mathematics from Boston University and a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University’s Center for Professional Education. She is a member of many local and national genealogical societies.