Past Conferences

A Chronology of the First 28 Conferences of the
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society

Since 1979, when the first Annual Meeting and Banquet was held at the National Archives and Records Administration Building, The Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. has educated, communicated, and celebrated at this yearly event. AAHGS has educated its members in many aspects of historical and genealogical research techniques and resources; it has communicated its mission, goals, and accomplishments at the State of the Society and Chapter Presidents’ meetings; and it has celebrated its achievements and those of its members at the yearly banquet.

Through the Annual Conference, AAHGS has provided opportunities for attendees to gain exposure to nationally acclaimed authors and authorities on African-American history and genealogy, while providing a showcase for members to share their expertise, research methods, and success stories with other members.

To commemorate this accomplishment, the following information was selected and excerpted from available newsletters, journals, conference materials, and other documents that were located in the AAHGS Archives and Records Center.

An Annual Meeting and Banquet has been held by the Society every year since 1979. The first annual meeting that involved the general membership to a significant degree, however, was not until 19-20 September 1980. That meeting took the form of a conference chaired by Debra L. Newman and featured professionals and non-professionals in the fields of history and genealogy who conducted genealogical workshops and presented papers on Records for Afro-American genealogy, Afro-American History, and Techniques for Teaching Black Family History…

Paul E. Sluby, Sr.

History of the AAHGS (1982)

1979 The First Annual Banquet was originally scheduled for 28 Apr 1979 and announced in the AAHGS Newsletter, vol. 1, no. 3. A postponement for this event was announced in the next issue of the Newsletter, but the exact date of the postponed event was not provided.

1980 The 2^nd AAHGS Annual Meeting and Banquet was chaired by Debra Lynn Newman, 19-20 Sep 1981, at the National Archives and Records Administration Building in Washington, DC.

1981 The 3^rd AAHGS Annual Meeting and Banquet (hereafter incorporated into the Annual Conference) was chaired by Patricia Ives Carter and John A. Whitlow. It was held 11-12 Sep 1981 and featured a reception and sessions at the National Archives and a Banquet at the Golden Ox Restaurant in Washington, DC. Special guests were: Dr. Rayford W. Logan, Dr. Benjamin Quarles, Dr. Richard B. Dickinson, Robert E. Clarke, Dr. Arthur Paul Davis, Dr. Michael Winston, Dr. Sylvia L. Render, and Dr. John Hope Franklin.

1982 The 4^th Annual Conference was held 10-12 Sep 1982 in Washington, DC. The sessions were held at the National Archives; the banquet was held at John Wesley Church, Washington, DC. The theme was “Life - Continuity - Eternity.” The coordinators for this conference were Patricia Ives Carter and Paul E. Sluby, Sr. Entertainment was provided by Bill Harris, master guitarist, composer, and recording artist.

1983 The 5^th Annual Conference, “Our Ancestral Routes,” featured the first conference logo, designed and drawn by Paul Sluby. This conference was again chaired by Patricia Carter and Paul Sluby and was held 9-10 Sep 1983 at the National Archives; the banquet was held in the Family Life Center of the Shiloh Baptist Church.

1984 “RETRIEVE, RECORD, REFINE: Your Historical and Genealogical Past,” the 6^th Conference, was held at the National Archives, 6-8 Sep 1984. It was chaired by Marcia McAdoo Greenlee. The conference program contained a Biblical reference to the study of history:

1985 The 7^th Conference, “210 Years of the African-American Family: 1775 - 1985,” was the first conference that was not held at the National Archives. Elizabeth Clark-Lewis and Debra Newman chaired this conference 12-14 Sep 1985 in the Madison Building, Library of Congress, in Washington, DC. The keynote address was made by Dr. John Fleming, Director, National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center Project, Columbus, OH.

1986 The 8^th Conference, “Afro-Americans on the Move: 19^th and 20^th Century Migrations,” was held 11-13 Sep 1986 at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. The banquet, which was held at the Howard University Blackburn Center, featured an address, “Black Migration,” by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, Smithsonian Institution.

1987 “To Establish Justice: African-American Culture and the Evolving Constitution” was the theme of the 9^th Conference; it was coordinated by Catherine Taylor McConnell and Fath Davis Ruffins, and was held 10-12 Sep 1987 at the Holiday Inn-Capitol Hill, Washington, DC.

1988 The 10^th AAHGS Conference, “Our Heritage: Researching and Publishing,” was held in conjunction with the National Council of Negro Women’s Black Family Reunion. The conference was chaired by Leroy Graham, 10 Sep 1988 at the Holiday Inn-Capitol Hill, and 11 Sep 1988 at the Black Family Reunion on the Capital Mall.

1989 The 11^th Conference was again chaired by Leroy Graham; this time with the assistance of Lynne D. Clark. “History as Genealogy, Genealogy as History” was held 6-8 Apr, at the Holiday Inn-Capitol Hill.

1990 The 12^th Conference, “Exploring the Past to Appreciate the Present,” was chaired by Gwendolyn Hackley Austin and Lynne Clark. It was held 2-5 May 1990 at the Holiday Inn-Capitol Hill.

1991 “Connections: Global Dimensions of the Black Experience”, the 13^th Annual Conference, was held 2-4 May 1991. It was chaired by Harry Mathews and Barbara Dodson Walker at the Holiday Inn-Capitol Hill.

1992 The 14^th Conference, “Dispelling the Myths: Discovering New Worlds,” was sponsored by the Baltimore Chapter, 2-4 Apr 1992, at the Sheraton Conference Center, Towson, MD. It was chaired by Sylvia Cooke Martin and Agnes Kane Callum, and marked the first time a conference was held outside the Washington, DC area.

1993 The 15^th Conference, “Roots, Routes, Reasons and Results,” was the second held outside of Washington, DC, and featured a keynote speech by James Dent Walker. Charles C. Brewer chaired the conference, 29 Apr-1 May, at the Knight’s Court Hotel in Carbondale, IL. The conference was sponsored by the Little Egypt Chapter.

1994 The 16^th Conference, “Just ordinary people, God uses ordinary people…” was held 29 Apr-1 May 1994 at the Howard University Hotel in Washington, DC, and was coordinated by Karen Wills-Henry, Charles Brewer, and E. Renée Ingram. The conference syllabus was introduced at this conference. Since then, the conference coordinators have continued to produce these keepsake documents for every conference.

1995 On 27-29 Apr 1995, the 17^th Conference, “Historians and Genealogists: Using Public Records, Writing Our History,” was again held at the Howard University Blackburn Center, in Washington, DC.

1996 The 18^th Conference, “Global Challenges for African-American Researchers,” was held 31 Oct-3 Nov 1996 at the Marriott-Metro Center, Washington, DC. Dr. Elizabeth Clark-Lewis was the banquet speaker.

1997 At the 19^th Conference, “Family and Cultural Heritage: Finding Our Ancestors and Finding Ourselves,” AAHGS celebrated its 20^th Anniversary. It was held 18-20 Sep at the Marriott-Metro Center and featured “Blessed Be The Tie That Binds,” delivered at the banquet by guest speaker, Jacquelyn E. Flowers.

1998 The 20^th Conference, “Unveiling the Past to Connect the Future: Census 2000,” was held 29 Oct-1 Nov 1998. It was coordinated by Sylvia Polk-Burriss, and was held at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center, Washington, DC.

1999 “Following Their Footsteps into the 21^st Century” was the theme of the 21^st Conference. It was held 28-31 Oct 1999. Again this event was coordinated by Sylvia Polk-Burriss and was held at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center.

2000 The 22^nd Conference, “Strong Roots - Long Branches: Entering the New Millennium, Building a Strong Family History,” was the third to be chaired by Sylvia Polk-Burriss. It was held 26-29 Oct 2000, at the Kellogg Conference Center. The opening plenary speaker was Randall Robinson, President, TransAfrica.

2001 The 23^rd Conference was again held at the Gallaudet Conference Center. “The Circle Grows Wider - Embrace Another Link” was held 25-28 Oct, and was coordinated by Carolyn Corpening Rowe and Khadijah Matin. The opening plenary speaker, Professor Edward C. Smith, delivered an address, “The Future of Preserving the Past.” Dr. Smith was then Director of American Studies, American University, Washington, DC.

2002 The 24^th conference, “Each Brick Tells a Story: Building Our House of Heritage,” was again coordinated by Carolyn Rowe and Khadijah Matin at the Gallaudet Conference Center, 26-29 Sep 2002. Author Tony Burroughs delivered the opening plenary speech, “Mysteries of the Soundex.”

2003 The 25^th conference, "Connecting the World Through Our Shared History," was chaired by Khadijah Matin and Tamela Tenpenny-Lewis, 23-26 Oct 2003, at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center.

2004 The 26^th conference, "Tying the Threads," was chaired by Khadijah Matin and Tamela Tenpenny-Lewis, 24-27 Oct 2007, at the DoubleTree Hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas. Guest speakers were Minnijean Brown Trickey (Little Rock Nine) and Dr. Joycelyn Elders (former U. S. Surgeon General).

2005 The 27^th conference, "Opening Our Eyes...Opening Our Minds," was chaired by Khadijah Matin and Tamela Tenpenny-Lewis, 27-30 Oct 2005, at the Gallaudet University Kellogg Conference Center, Washington, DC. Banquet speaker was Dr. Allen Weinstein, Archivist of the United States.

2006 The 28^th conference, "The Legacy of Our Roots: A Heritage for the Future," was chaired by Khadijah Matin and Tamela Tenpenny-Lewis, 26-29 Oct 2005, at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.