Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI)

July 8-10, 2014 I attended the second (my first) Midwest African American Genealogy Institute (MAAGI) in St. Louis Missouri. .  It was held on the beautiful campus of Harris-Stowe State University, an historically Black public university.

The rallying challenge  --  So What?  --  was a real wake-up call.  This question forces you to really dissect that printed page of a document. You have a document from your ancestor -- so what? -- how are you going to process that information, pick apart that information, what exactly does it mean, where else will it lead you?

There have been so many times that I was so proud of myself for finding and/or acquiring a document about an ancestor.  But I never realized that it was just one step among many in genealogy research.  That document is not the end all be all.

The Institute offered four tracks.  Track 1: Fundamental Methods & Strategies for African American Research; Track 2: Technology and Social Media; Track 3: Pre & Post Emancipation Records Track 4: Genealogy As a Profession.  

I took Track 1 which was coordinated by Dr. Shelley Murphy, who along with presenters, Thomas MacEntee; Judy Russell, and Bernice Bennett, kept the class spellbound with their presentations.  

My brain is fried but I'm on a new genealogy mission  --  So What?

Sandra Williams Bush, top row, second from left

I am proud to be a member of the second annual Midwestern African American Genealogy Institute -- Class of 2014.  In the spirit of "Each one, teach one",  I refuse to hold on to what I have learned.  I will share information with my group, Buffalo Genealogical Society of the African Diaspora, and others interested in genealogy.   I look forward to MAAGI 2015!