Unearthing The Voices of Our Ancestors

Join us for an engaging and deeply personal journey through history with Nicka Sewell Smith, nationally recognized genealogist and storyteller, as she leads a series of virtual African American genealogy workshops. This unique series will guide participants through the process of researching their family histories, with a special emphasis on centering Black voices, narratives, and ancestral legacies.

Through the lens of genealogy, participants will learn to navigate historical records, oral traditions, and modern tools like DNA testing. As Nicka beautifully demonstrates, genealogical research combined with oral histories helps us develop a deep understanding of our past, present, and can help us navigate our future.

Whether you’re just beginning or continuing your journey, this series offers the inspiration and knowledge to dig deeper into your roots—and strengthen the stories that shape us all.

Presented by Weeksville and in collaboration with Robyne Walker Murphy, an arts and cultural strategist and family researcher committed to uplifting Black heritage, these workshops promise to be both educational and empowering.

All workshops are free and will take place on Zoom. Please use the links below to register. You must register for each workshop individually.

SESSION SCHEDULE (7pm EST on Zoom):

Wednesday, May 7th: Beginning African American Genealogy

Interest in family history has grown exponentially over the past decade and has become a national phenomenon. In this session, learn the basics of genealogical research and discover ways that descendants of both free people and those formerly enslaved can trace their ancestors.

Wednesday, May 21st: The Trifecta – The Secret Sauce of Researching the Formerly Enslaved

Genealogists and family historians alike have spent decades looking for a tried and true method for unearthing slaveholders of those enslaved prior to 1865. Learn how three crucial record sets (Civil War Records/Pensions, the Freedmen’s Bureau, and Probates/Successions) can become just the wrecking ball needed to obliterate brick walls related to slavery.

Wednesday, June 25th: Through This Soil: Finding and Tracing the Family Land

Black Americans who emerged from enslavement were eager to take advantage of all the rights and privileges of their newfound citizenship. One of the rights they often pursued was owning their own land. In this session, learn how to identify if an ancestor owned land, how to trace the chain of ownership of land that’s been in a family, and how to break down details mentioned within land records to glean more information on those mentioned.

Wednesday, July 23rd: Introduction to DNA and Genealogy

Genetic genealogy truly bears fruit if multiple family members on multiple lines of the family have tested. Learn the ins and outs of the type of tests, what to expect when you get results, and how to create and manage a project for your family while being mindful of privacy and sensitive issues that may arise.

FACILITATOR BIOGRAPHY:

Nicka Smith is a host, consultant, and documentarian with more than 20 years of experience as a genealogist. She has extensive experience in researching the enslaved and their communities and is a valued expert in genealogy research along the Mississippi Delta.

Nicka has diverse and varied experience in media with a background in audio, video, and written communications. She’s appeared on TODAY Show, CNN, MSNBC, was featured on an Emmy winning episode of the series Who Do You Think You Are, and has been interviewed by Oakland Tribune, The Undefeated, National Geographic, and TIME. She is the host of BlackProGen LIVE, an innovative web show with more than 130 episodes focused on people of color genealogy and family history.

She is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, a member of two lineage societies (Sons and Daughters of the Middle Passage (SDUSMP) and the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR)), and a past board member of the California Genealogical Society (CGS) and the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California (AAGSNC). Nicka served as the chair of the Outreach and Education Committee for AAGSNC, and she is the former project manager for the Alameda County, CA Youth Ancestral Project where more than 325 youth were taught the value of family history.

Additionally, Nicka is the family historian and lead researcher for the Atlas family of Lake Providence, East Carroll, Louisiana, and guides and coaches an active group of family historians at the Who is Nicka Smith Patreon community.