African American Historical and Genealogical Society Bridging the American Colonial Divide

CALLING FOR SPONSORS, EXHIBITORS and ADVERTISERS We are excited to announce that Registration is Now Open for our Annual Virtual Conference!

As we celebrate 45 years of legacy building we will be “Bridging the American Colonial Divide Resurrecting the Memory and Space of Black Patriots and History Makers”

We are excited to have our amazing sponsors and partners be a part of this event. Our partners and presenters will help us tell the often-overlooked stories of the 6,000 + African American ‘Men who served in the Revolutionary wars and other History Makers!

Register for the conference and over 60 sessions today! 

We offer exclusive sponsorships, exhibitors, and ad opportunities to expand the reach and drive booth traffic for every budget.  Purchase a la carte or contact us to create a custom-fit package tailored to your company’s personality, goals, and budget. Click the options below to learn more or purchase your spot today!

Click Here to Secure your spot

Thank you in advance for your ongoing support and partnership. If you have any questions, please email confdirector@aahgs.org. If you no longer want to receive emails about the AAHGS 2022 Annual Conference & Exhibition, please Unsubscribe. If you no longer want to receive emails from AAHGS, Inc., please Opt-Out.

African American History & Genealogy Conference Cancelled

Cancelled due to Storm Damage

You’re Invited.!
2020 Deep Roots African American History & Genealogy Conference  3rd Annual Conference 2nd Regional Conference to encompass Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming

Sponsored by Utah Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society and Sema Hadithi Heritage and Culture Foundation
This years’s conference theme is Their Legacy Utah Buffalo Soldiers, Black Cowboys & Other Pioneers
September 11 – 12, 2020 An Online Virtual Event
The Utah Chapter of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, (AAHGS) and Sema Hadithi Heritage and Culture, are excited to invite you to our third annual conference. We are pleased with the great learning opportunity we have put together for you. We hope you are as excited as we are. We eagerly invite you to participate in this event to learn about, commemorate and cherish our beloved ancestors. This is a special time of year for us because it gives us the opportunity to present to you stories of America that you will not hear anywhere else.
Members and non-members are invited to join us at our annual conference, where we will discuss the research, preservation and presentation of the contributions of African Americans to the history of our seven western states region. We have prepared what we feel is a great mix of experiences for you. We will begin our weekend with a commemoration of the first Africans Americans documented to arrive in Utah before it was settled and became a state. There are sessions on the Freedmen’s Bureau, caring for loved ones graves and markers, and the valiant service of Black men and women who helped establish our place in the west.
We hope you enjoy these wonderful presentations on how to record your family history, and cherishing the memory of our ancestors both enslaved and free. You have several registration options: Register for the full conference Register for any two presentations and the Day of Remembrance at a discounted fee Register only for the presentation(s) you are interested in (as many and as few as you like) Register Now
Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 Day of Remembrance Ancestral Commemoration
Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020 History and Genealogy Conference
In the early 1800s, before the main body of settlers arrived in the territories, stalwart men and women explored the west. They were among the first to explore the Rockies and the Wasatch. The first to challenge the dangerous paths into Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California. Great African Americans explored, opened pathways, prepared land, and defended the territories. We commemorate and venerate their sense of adventure, fortitude, duty, and ultimate success. These are the counter-stories and fulfilling narratives you won’t hear anywhere else. We will solemnly remember and celebrate these forgotten American heroes. Friday, Sept. 11, 2020 Day of Remembrance Tour of Fort Douglas Buffalo Soldier Cemetery Friday, September 11⋅ 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Fiona Robinson Hill Our conference opens with a tour the Fort Douglas Cemetery where Buffalo Soldiers are interred. Participate live at the cemetery, or online. Day of Remembrance Celebration Friday, September 11⋅ 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM Robert Burch, Director and President Opening Ceremonies A special evening event to remember, commemorate, and venerate the Black ancestors of Utah, and the ancestors of our own families. There will be a presentation on Black Pioneers of Utah. Register for the Day of Remembrance Saturday, Sept. 12, 2020
We have planned six history and three genealogy presentations for the avid historian and the family historian. Engaged in an Honorable Calling Saturday, September 12 ⋅ 9:30 AM – 10:25 AM Fiona Robinson Hill The stories of individual soldiers who served at Fort Douglas near Salt Lake City, UT Recovering the Names of the Wives of Buffalo Soldiers at Ft. Douglas Saturday, September 12 ⋅ 10:30 AM – 11:25 AM Tiffany Greene An introduction to Minerva Atkinson, Eliza Buford, Viola Rucker Davis, and Josephine Allensworth.  Using Fold 3 To Locate Your African American Soldier & Demo of Fold 3 Saturday, September 11⋅ 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Crista Cowan With nearly 600 million records, Fold3® holds unique and amazing discoveries for African American family history researchers. Elnora Dudley: The Queen of the 1898 Salt Lake City Emancipation Day Friday, September 11⋅ 12:30 PM – 1:25 PM Rachel Quist This is the story about how an obscure photograph of Ms. Elnora Dudley found at an antique shop led to the telling of Salt Lake City’s first Emancipation Day celebration of 1898. (Juneteenth) Utah’s Black Suffragists Friday, September 11⋅ 1:30 PM – 2:25 PM Tiffany Greene As the nation commemorates the centennial of the 19th Amendment, the work of Utah’s Black suffragists provides a crucial element to the story of voting rights in the Beehive State. Searching the Freedmen’s Bureau for Your People Friday, September 11⋅ 2:30 PM – 3:25 PM Tracy Zappala The Freedmen’s Bureau gives us some of the first records you might find about your freed ancestral family. Cemetery Preservation Workshop Friday, September 11⋅ 3:30 PM – 4:25 PM Amy Barry Discovering, restoring, and maintaining the resting place of the ancestors. Utah Territory Outlaw: From Ned Huddleston to Isom Dart Friday, September 11⋅ 4:30 PM – 5:25PM Richelle Rawlings-Carroll Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming Isom Dart is the Black outlaw cowboy. Register A la Carte Pick and choose the presentations you would like to attend, or register for the entire conference.
Are you ready to register for the conference? REGISTER NOW
Partner Organizations We want to thank those organizations that have partnered with us and are always there to support us: Mormon History Association Project Success Sons and Daughters of the U.S. Middle Passage Utah Memorial Columns
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Utah Sema Hadithi Heritage and Culture Foundation