From Dust to Dust: Climate Change & Cemeteries

New Essay Alert!

Link: https://atmos.earth/cemeteries-segregation-climate-change/

Much gratitude to Atmos Magazine for the opportunity to share my thoughts on climate change, cemeteries, and preservation. As a genealogist, cemeteries are essential to the work I do for clients. But more than that, they are meaningful cultural spaces for communities around the world. Please read, share, and comment. Does your family have a historic cemetery? Do you often visit cemeteries? Are there any interesting cemeteries in your town? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Reflections on Pride Month 2020

The past 3-4 months have been…interesting…to say the least. Perhaps we should have known that 2020 was going to challenge us when memes about World War 3 dominated social media in January. I spent the month of February preparing for my public history project on my winter trip to West Africa. Then, COVID-19 hit us in March. I, like many of you, had to cope with the deep disappointments of having projects, work opportunities, and life plans derailed because of this virus. Once I realized that March and April were going to be spent inside, I remember staring at my barely used planner, wondering if I would be able to pull things together by the end of summer. I gave myself time to mourn the year I thought I would have. Then I stocked up on non-perishables, made masks from cloth I purchased overseas, and re-commenced my regimen of vitamins and yoga. I bounced between feelings of joy about not having to deal with rush hour traffic and anxiety about inhaling this invisible killer every time I stepped outside to take a walk.

The month of May felt like some sort of twisted new normal. I had a lot of time for self-reflection as I settled into a modified work routine. Then, the week of Memorial Day, news hit of George Floyd being killed by police in Minneapolis. This came after quieter rumblings about the killing of Breonna Taylor in March. Since the last week of May, it seems that time has been moving in spurts of unbelievable speed and torturous dormancy. We stumbled into June riding a wave of public health crises, state violence, and economic instability. In my righteous fury, I signed petitions, protested, sent donations, and ranted online. But I noticed that, as #BlackLivesMatter became more prevalent in the news cycle, some people tried to silence conversations about the difficulties the Black LGBTQ+ community faced. Too many people don’t know or don’t care that from the beginning, the Black Lives Matter movement has centered LGBTQ+ individuals. I wanted to use my small platform as a historian to challenge this.

We do ourselves a disservice when we act as if police brutality and systemic discrimination do not touch the lives of Black LGBTQ+ people. For the month of June, I created a mini-lesson on Black LGBTQ+ history. (You can also scroll through my Instagram & Facebook accounts for the individual blurbs for the mini-lesson.) What began as a simple educational intervention became a necessary personal meditation on history and marginalization in our society. Many people are familiar with James Baldwin and Alvin Ailey. But researching the contributions of Ernestine Eckstein, Willi Ninja, and Alain Locke gave me hope in an otherwise dark, frightening month. They used their gifts in service of their community, which is the least we all can do. They danced, they wrote literature, they organized. As I always say, our forebears left us blueprints for navigating times like this. It is up to us to honor them and use those tools to keep moving forward.

Although 2020 has taken on a lugubrious tone, I call upon us all to listen to the past for guidance, joy, and innovation. Learning more about our distant and recent LGBTQ+ ancestors for Pride Month 2020 has given me a deeper appreciation for the work of today’s activists. Black Lives Matter is not about trendy social media posts. It is about framing our lives in a way that embraces and uplifts all of our community members. Are we living in shaky, frustrating times? Yes. But we do not give up. Indeed, #ALLBlackLivesMatter.

Akwaaba (West Africa, Pt 1)

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Since 3rd or 4th grade, I’ve wanted to visit Africa. It’s my dad’s fault, really. He ordered the entire Roots collection of VHS tapes and had me and my sisters watch them with him when we visited him on weekends. (Thanks, Daddy!) In 2019, everything finally aligned for me to touch African soil. At the top of the year, historian circles began to buzz about the Year of Return, which marked 400 years since Africans arrived in Virginia in 1619.* I was interested in making the journey, and I knew that it would be a great opportunity for some historical adventures for Lynnfield. Serendipity would have it that I stumbled upon a social media post from Magic & Melanin, a travel agency that provides immersion experiences in West Africa. I ended up having two amazing weeks learning about myself and the world of my ancestors.

After an overnight flight on Ethiopian Airlines, our group landed in Lome, Togo on December 27. The first little moment of joy I felt on African soil was the round of applause all the passengers gave once we landed. Of all the flights I’ve taken over the years, this was the first in a long time that culminated in applause. My people, regardless of what corner of the Diaspora we call home, do not take safe flights for granted. I smiled at this small sense of familiarity.

My view of our plane after we landed in Lome.

My view of our plane after we landed in Lome.

We could all feel the excitement and anticipation in the air as we deplaned and gathered in Tokoin International Airport to exchange currency and receive our visas for Togo. (That was a learning experience, for sure.) We were welcomed with singing and drumming as soon as we stepped outside to board our shuttles to our hotels. The sweltering heat did not deter the giant grin on my face. On one hand, I felt like a cliche, just another goofy Black American setting foot on the Motherland, cloaked in her American privilege and ignorance about the nuances of West African culture. As true as that might be, it was also true that I was home. My bones of my ancestors rest here just as they rest throughout the American South. My giddiness contrasted with the calm demeanor of Togolese airport workers and residents who were going on about their daily business. I let all self-consciousness go. I was not going to spoil these first precious moments trying to hide my joy, so I kept grinning and clapping along to the music, letting myself acclimate to the dusty heat as we loaded our luggage and continued on our journey.

We were met with music as soon as we exited the airport, courtesy of Magic & Melanin.

We were met with music as soon as we exited the airport, courtesy of Magic & Melanin.

While in Togo, I resided at the Sancta Maria Hotel, which was lovely. I had to become accustomed to the room’s air conditioning unit and hot water heater. We freshened up and boarded our shuttles again. (Shoutout to our amazing drivers!) We were served a wonderful first meal at the Magic and Melanin house, where we spent the evening relaxing and getting our hair braided before our road trip to Ghana, where we would spend a few days before returning to Togo.

My first meal in Togo! Absolutely delicious.

My first meal in Togo! Absolutely delicious.

This first day was a whirlwind of travel, new sights, and new people. I could not wait to take in the language, clothing, architecture, and food during my visit. Even during this first 24 hours I saw history everywhere. In the hair salon as women deftly braided our hair as women have done for generations. In the street stands where fresh fruits and smoked meats were sold, just as they had been for years. In the rice and plantains that we devoured once we sat down to eat, just as our ancestors had done. After a lifetime of dreaming about Africa, I finally made it.

One of my first views of Lome. Motorcycles everywhere!

One of my first views of Lome. Motorcycles everywhere!

I loved the wigs outside the salon. :-)

I loved the wigs outside the salon. :-)

Considering Freedmen’s Schools & the AMA

James’s Plantation School

James’s Plantation School

** I am re-working a personal research project, and I thought I might post some thoughts about my archival findings so far. Enjoy! **

While working through some primary sources recently, I came across an article in Harper’s Weekly that featured educational institutions for Black Americans. Of particular interest to me was James’s Plantation Freedmen’s School in North Carolina.

The school was named after Reverend Horace James, a minister from Massachusetts who served as a chaplain in the Union army. In 1863, General John G. Foster, commander of the North Carolina Department of the Freedmen’s Bureau, appointed Reverend James as “Superintendent of Negro Affairs for the North Carolina District” and tasked him with maintaining the Freedmen’s Colony of Roanoke Island.

What struck me about this article in Harper’s Weekly was its description of schooling as “the true foundation of the real social reconstruction of the South.” Conceptualizing education as a means of social and cultural advancement is central to my dissertation, and I am fascinated by depictions of education in Reconstruction Era media. Furthermore, this article features “illustrations of a number of the most prominent of the schools at the South under the control and direction of the American Missionary Association of New York.” The AMA deeply influenced the development of schools for freedpeople. The organization helped educate hundreds of former slaves, but it was also a proponent of the Northern savior myth which completely ignored the contributions of Blacks in the dismantling of slavery. In fact, the article in question begins with an iteration of this myth: “When the North gave freedom to the slaves of the South it saw the necessity of giving them also the education which was necessary to their proper appreciation and employment of their liberty…The North did its duty; the schoolmaster followed the flag wherever it went…” The implication here is that newly freed slaves needed the assistance of Union soldiers and Northern schoolteachers to properly appreciate freedom, as if Black Americans had not yearned for, fought for, and died for freedom since first arriving to North America. By positioning the North as the gracious liberator to helpless, childlike hordes of African Americans, the work of Black abolitionists and educators is obscured.

“The Freedmen’s Schools,” Harper’s Weekly, October 3, 1868

“The Freedmen’s Schools,” Harper’s Weekly, October 3, 1868

In light of this idea, I’m very interested in the ways that the AMA is used to legitimize Black schools after the Civil War. Though the AMA-related institutions featured in this Harper’s Weekly article certainly did admirable work, I grow increasingly curious about less-recognized methods of education among freedpeople. African Americans were learning to read well before the AMA and the Freedmen’s Bureau were created, and they continued to educate themselves after Reconstruction ended. However, in so many newspaper and magazine articles of the day, sites of learning were not recognized unless the AMA or Freedmen’s Bureau sanctioned them. The acknowledgement of Black self-education would raise questions about Black agency, and over the course of my dissertation process, I hope to unravel the tensions around this agency as they were manifested from the Reconstruction Era through the Jim Crow Era.

Harper’s Weekly Sketch of James’s School

Harper’s Weekly Sketch of James’s School

Historic Texas Courthouses in Popular Movies

Temperatures are dropping, and it’s dark by 5:30 pm. It’s the perfect time of year to curl up on the couch with snacks and hot chocolate and catch up on classic movies. (Don’t forget to exercise between those movies, though!) Being a lover of history, I enjoy finding cool old buildings in my favorite films, and Texas courthouses are an underappreciated part of popular movie productions. These buildings offer a glimpse into the wild, quirky past of my home state, and they are also great examples various architecture styles. I’m going to show them a little love here as I walk through some of my favorite wintertime movies.  

Click through the slideshow for more!

Happy National Family History Month!

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Hello Everyone!

October is recognized as Family History Month, and it’s a really special time of year here at Lynnfield Historical Consulting (LHC). The holidays will be here soon, and since families are often together a little more between October and December, this is a great time of year to plan oral history recordings, preservation lessons, and genealogy projects.

There are lots of ways that LHC can help you organize and record your family history. In addition to individualized genealogy portfolios, I can help you create cookbooks to preserve family recipes, record videos of elders telling their life stories, and much more.

There will be a special discount given to new clients for the month of October in honor of Family History Month. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to contact me. I would love to speak with you!

Black Americans in the Revolutionary Period

It's the Fourth of July, so it's a great day to revisit some of the people who influenced the Revolutionary Period. I encourage you to read more about the figures mentioned in the presentation below. There are many articles and books about them. If you are interested in Northern and Southern perspectives of the early United States, I recommend these books:

 

Black History Month is Almost Here!

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We are just a few days away from Black History Month 2018. I am so excited to connect with new clients and to continue advocating for history education in my local community. 

I'm glad to have 2017 behind us. We've gotten past Hurricane Harvey and the hectic holiday season. As we hit our stride in the new year, I want to encourage everyone to connect with their elders in preparation for February's celebrations. Here are two questions that can help open a fun dialogue:

  1. What was a fad or trend from your youth? Did your parents give you grief about certain clothes or hairstyles you wanted to wear, or music you wanted to listen to?
  2. Are there any stories about famous (or infamous) relatives in our family? 

You might learn that your great-aunt once danced on Soul Train in glittery bellbottoms. Or maybe you have a cousin whose dinner date with Lloyd Hall inspired his work in food preservation. With all of the stressful things going on in the world, it can be calming and inspirational to gain some perspective about the lives of people who have been here much longer than we have. 

While you are learning about your family, keep Lynnfield in mind for your summer family reunion planning. Family reunions are perfect opportunities to collect genealogical material. I will help craft a multimedia package and conduct research on your family tree. Clients receive a comprehensive family history dossier. It's never too early to begin planning, so send me a message to get started! I look forward to helping you "Unlock Your Legacy."

Finding Female Ancestors

Finding Female Ancestors

Happy Women's History Month! Let's take a moment to think about a major issue in genealogy: finding our female ancestors. We all know that women are just as important as men in genealogical research, but records are strongly skewed toward men. How can we address this disparity?

In practically any family history project, you will encounter a brick wall with a woman on your pedigree chart. Because of traditional surname changes, tracing women in our family trees can be much more difficult than tracing men. Lost maiden names and remarriages can pose challenges, but often, with a bit of dedication these challenges can be overcome.

The erasure of women in historical records has long been a problem in the field of genealogy. After the 20th century Women's Rights Movement, this is slowly changing. Women's roles in history are celebrated more, and consequently, our female relatives are recorded more. As women have moved into the public sphere more - purchasing land, maintaining bank accounts, running businesses, and entering into legal contracts - it has become easier to fill in gaps in our family trees. Nevertheless, tracing women in history still presents certain difficulties, but you shouldn't give up!

Although there's no magic trick for completing family trees, Lynnfield can help you find connections that lead to the missing women in your project. Contact us for a consultation to get started!