There are more than 41 million black residents in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And by 2050, the Bureau predicts the black population will exceed 65 million, including those of more than one race. Many of these individuals have started, or will begin, to search for their ancestors.
Two events, in my opinion, have had a dramatic impact on people interested black genealogical research today. The first was in 1976 when Doubleday Books published Alex Haley’s fictional account of his search for his family history. Haley, who died in 1992, won a Pulitzer for his novel Roots: The Saga of an American Family. A television mini-series adapted from the book and aired by ABC in 1977, won a number of awards.
But I think the real significance of Haley’s Roots has been to open minds and hearts to the truly personal nature of family history research. Our ancestors are not just names on microfilmed copies of censuses or barely legible scrawls on decades-old church registrars. They were real people, who lived and breathed, and above all, endured the joys and sorrows of their time.
The second event was the 2008 election of the first African American to the Presidency of the United States. Politically historic, for sure. But I believe Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, also inspired a resurgence of interest in black family history, including this article in the New York Times.
Here are some resources for family historians seeking their African American ancestors:
African American Research (NARA)
University of South Florida Africana Heritage Project
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
Cyndi’s List for African American Researchers
Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society
You can learn more about Black History Month and interesting statistics about blacks in America from the U.S. Census Bureau’s newsroom.
