NRB Press Release
May, 2005
Reginald Washington supports NRB's Participation in the 28th Annual PA Black History Conference
African American genealogy expert, Reginald Washington (NWCC1) was a featured speaker a workshop at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission's Annual Black History conference held in Philadelphia April 20-23. The workshop, Researching Family Legacies: "The Road to Freedom" through the Records of the Freedmen's Bureau and Freedman's Bank, was a collaborative program by NRB, the African American Genealogy Group, and the National Constitution Center. Attended by twenty-nine people, the workshop supported the conference's theme: Philadelphia: A Historic Black Capital in America by connecting the Freedmen's Bureau and Freedmen's Bank records to the story of blacks in Pennsylvania. Joining Reginald was Shamele C. Jordon, President of the African American Genealogy Group. Ms. Jordon shared various tools she creator to organize and document her family history research using the Freedmen's records.
NRB also held an open house at the Philadelphia Archives on April 20th for conference attendees. Attendees were given an opportunity to explore the archive's exhibition gallery and learn about public workshops.
This collaborative project has created an opportunity for NRB to work with the Pennsylvania Heritage Tourism Office for the upcoming regional Black Family Reunion event. This event attracts over 1,000 participants.
The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission is an affiliate of the National Archives through its Pennsylvania Archives program division. The Pennsylvania Archives holds the records created by Brevet General John Frederick Hartranft, Special Provost Marshal for the Trial and Execution of the Assassins of President Lincoln (Record Group 393, U.S. Army Continental Commands).
