Ancestry Academy  > Education  >  Kicking Off Black History Month

 

To kick off Black History month, Ancestry’s Nicka Sewell-Smith, introduces the Stories of Us campaign in alignment with America’s Semiquincentennial (250th anniversary) celebration. Nicka highlights a convergence of significant anniversaries, including 100 years since the start of Negro History Week, 50 years since the release of Alex Haley's Roots, and 120 years since the Treaties of 1866 abolished enslavement in the Indian Territory. The primary objective is to guide researchers through the new Story of US site and demonstrate how to use specific records to connect with the stories of both notable figures and everyday ancestors.

 

The presentation features a detailed tour of records for figures such as Wesley Williams, the first Black fire chief in New York, and author Richard Wright, utilizing draft cards and newspapers to trace migration and career milestones. Nicka emphasizes the value of often-overlooked documents, showing how passport applications revealed the travels of Olympian William DeHart Hubbard and aviatrix Bessie Coleman, and how voter registrations captured the signature of Zora Neale Hurston. The session concludes with an interactive Q&A covering essential research strategies, such as using wildcards for name misspellings, locating hospital records, and researching slaveholders to find enslaved ancestors.

 

Chapters:

- Celebrating Major Anniversaries

- The Power of Newspapers

- Tracing Migration and Careers

- Passports and International Travel

- Research Strategies Q&A

 

Visit the Stories of Us page to explore these historical profiles and take advantage of free access to historical Black newspapers on Newspapers.com during February 2026.