It seemed like I had just laid down when I heard my alarm going off this morning. I know I said yesterday was a long day. Today is not going to be much different. The first thing on the schedule was the Welcome/Ancestral Libration and Opening Plenary speaker at 830am. I got up a little earlier, so I could get some breakfast. I was able to sit with my new genealogy friend and talk about our research, the conference, and that we as researchers are the chosen ones for a reason. I don’t get to talk much about genealogy and research in my regular life. So it’s always nice to have an inspiring and informative conversation about genealogy.
The break out sessions started at 1030am, following the luncheon speaker, Dr. Tonya Matthews from the International African American Museum. She spoke about the importance of preserving our history and stories. She also told us about some upcoming exhibits the museum has acquired. After lunch Phillip set up the podcast equipment, and we were able to record an episode in the expo hall and walk around and get some video footage.
This afternoon I took some time to go visit the vendors and sponsors including NGS, Family Tree Maker, Vivid Pix, DAR, and Arcadia Books. This year there was a Gullah Market place that had local vendors from South Carolina. Some of the vendors had natural soaps/lotions, jewelry, spices, and accessories.
Day 2 is always busy, and I always attend more sessions. I wanted to make sure that I was able to see everyone and continue to catch-up in between sessions, which left little time for pictures. But it was nice being able to be present and to take this first in person conference in five years was so important to me. So on day two I wasn’t much of a content creator and focused on being just an attendee.
Sessions I attended:
- Opening Plenary – Tongues of the Land: Gullah Geechee Language as a Map, Mirror, and Mandate, presented by Dr. Jessica Berry
- From the Shadows to Light: Successful Strategies for Researching Enslaved Ancestors, presented by Renate Yarborough-Sanders
- Keynote Speaker – Dr. Tonya Matthews
- Researching Family History in Segregated Black High School, presented by Adrienne Fikes
Click HERE to read about 2025 AAHGS National Conference Day 1
Click HERE to read about 2025 AAHGS National Conference Day 3
Journey Through the Generations 