Black History Month
2026 Genealogy Conference


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10:00 AM - 11:45 AM

Opening Remarks - Chiquita Clark Sorrels
President Montgomery County, Maryland Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Chapter  

Invocational Prayer – Sister Janet Stowell and Elder David Stowell,
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Musical presentation -  Lift Every Voice and Sing arr. Roland M. Carter
105 Voices of History National HBCU Concert Choir  

Introduction of Keynote Speaker - Noreen Goodson
Secretary Agnes Kane Callum - Baltimore Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society Chapter (BAAHGS) 

Keynote Address - Chris Haley 
Director of Research, Education, and Outreach and
the Legacy of Slavery Program at the Maryland State Archives

LUNCH 12 Noon - 12:45 PM

1:00 - 3:15 PM (Concurrent Sessions)

OPTION 1

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM  Genealogy for Beginners -
Noreen Goodson and Chiquita Clark Sorrels (Theater 1 - upstairs)
(MUST PRE-REGISTER - LIMITED TO 30 ATTENDEES)

OPTION 2

1:00 PM – 3:15 - Presentations - Auditorium (lower level)

 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Title Presenter  
Reclaiming Black Ancestral Stories with AI & Full‑Text Search on FamilySearch Thom Reed  
 2:15 PM- 3:15 PM
Title Presenter  
Behind The Brick Wall: Solving Research Problems with DNA Shannon Christmas  

FINAL SESSION: 3:30 - 5:00 PM

Title Presenter  
Cemetery Preservation Panel Discussion: Preserving African American Cemeteries Through Community, Scholarship, and Activism Moderator: Bernice Alexander Bennett
Panelists:
Eileen McGuckian
L. Paige Whitley
Dr. Elgin L. Klugh 
 

5:15 PM - Closing Remarks - LaJoy Y. Mosby
National President of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. (AAHGS)

 

HANDOUTS FOR SESSIONS

 

 

 

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