"Voyages of No Return: The Business of the African Slave Trade" (Virtual Conference)
 
February 12, 2022 | 10:00 AM - 3:30 PM
Houston, TX

The Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society - Willie Lee Gay H-Town Chapter presents "Voyages of No Return: The Business of the African Slave Trade" as a full-day VIRTUAL conference in celebration of Black History Month. The virtual conference and fundraiser is scheduled from 10 a.m - 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 12 for a small donation of $10 to the chapter.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED IN ORDER TO GAIN ACCESS TO THE CONFERENCE. 

To register and pay the donation cost, please follow the Eventbrite link below:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/voyages-of-no-return-the-business-of-the-african-slave-trade-tickets-249056874817

The conference offers five virtual sessions via ZOOM that will feature the following sessions and presenters:

10 a.m.

"Slave Manifests in the National Archives" - Session Presenter: Ketina Taylor (Ft. Worth National Archives- Slave Ship Manifests Collections)

Session Topic will discuss slave manifests held at various locations of the National Archives, including a history of the documents, which manifests exist, and research tips.

11 a.m.

 

“The Middle Passage” - Session Presenter: Ann Chinn (Middle Passage Ceremonies & Port Markers Project)

Session topic will address the history and legacy of the Middle Passage by discussing: data, research, and preservation before and during the trans-Atlantic voyage from the 15th-19th century; Middle Passage impact upon Africa/ the Americas/global society - heritage, culture, transformation; interpretation of Middle Passage history and legacy beyond the context exclusively of slavery; description of Middle Passage Ceremonies and Port Markers Project - Vision and Mission.

12:00 p.m.   (30-Minute LUNCH BREAK)

12:30 p.m.

“African Origins of People Brought to America in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade” Session Presenter: Rosalyn Green (AAHGS Delaware Chapter)

Session Topic will provide an overview of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, briefly discuss the top 10 African tribes brought to the Americas in the Trans-Atlantic Trade, then go more in-depth into the origins of those brought to the United States along with where and when they landed here. Attendees who have taken a DNA test are encouraged to have their ethnicity results to gain more insight into the potential locations of their African ancestral origins.

1:30 p.m.

“Slave Voyages” - Session Presenters: Katelyn Landry, Victoria Zabate, and Ben Schachter (Rice University)

Session Topic will discuss preliminary findings of an ongoing research project aimed at reconstructing the coastwise diaspora of enslaved African Americans to Texas between 1827 and 1860 based on slave manifests filed at New Orleans, Savannah, and Mobile. These documents contain personal details on approximately 15,000 African Americans, including their names, age, sex, and stature, in addition to information about their enslavers, the ships that transported them, and their intended destination on the Texas coast and more. Genealogists may find the data discussed particularly relevant to their research. The project's final results will be made freely available on the renowned website SlaveVoyages.org, hosted at Rice University.

2:30 p.m.

“Armfield and Franklin” - Session Presenter: Debra Blacklock-Sloan (AAHGS Willie Lee Gay H-Town Chapter, Houston)

Session Topic will discuss the history of the largest slave-trading company in Virginia.

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