Black Indian, African Americans and Native Americans, Black family history, Indian family, Cherokee Nation Census 1869

THE KANSAS INSTITUTE for AFRICAN AMERICAN and NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILY HISTORY KIAANAFH <> CARE-'NOUGH

MOST RECENT PROGRAM

-- A PUBLIC FORUM --

“Out of the shadows:
Notable African American families
and sites of Mid-America”
Saturday, August 25, 2012 -- 10am to 2pm
at The Black Archives of Mid-America
1722 E. 17th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64108

Sponsored by The KIAANAFH (with partial support by FFNHA, the Black Archives of Mid-America,
and the M.I.T. Political Science Dept.)

WE DISCUSSED HOW/WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM OUR OWN FAMILY HISTORIES, and
HOW TO BRING OUT THEIR BROADER SIGNIFICANCE!
The stories we discussed concerned the families in the Kansas and Missouri area that settled here before 1950.
We hope to help our children and grandchildren take pride in their family’s heritage.
We aim to bring prominence to our stories by making them known to the thousands of tourists who, in coming years,
will visit the U.S. National Park Service’s project called Freedom’s Frontier National Heritage Area (FFNHA).

We discussed important but still all too little known places and people in our local KS/MO history, such as: .
o Dr. George Washington Carver: scientist, educator, inventor, artist, born in MO, product of KS education.
o Sarah Rector: the richest Black woman in the world of her time, resident of KC.
o Bishop John Andrew Greg: educator, U.S. diplomat, AME church leader, resident of KC, KS.
o Melvin B. Tolson: educator, labor organizer, civic leader, coach of the famous “Great Debaters,” resident of KC, MO.
o Polly Crossilin: Black Seminole/Creek Indian founder of the Colored Church (Poplar Grove) of Humboldt, KS.
o The role Sumner High Schools of Kansas City and Leavenworth KS in producing African American leaders.
o The contributions of the region's African American women's clubs and organizations.
o The contributions of the early local African American churches.
o Stories and sites introduced by the participants.

Speakers included:
Ms. Julie McPike, Project Coordinator, FFNHA
Mr. Chester Owens, former member of KC, KS City Council
Mr. Robert Farnsworth, historian and biographer of Melvin B. Tolson
Dr. Doretha Williams, Executive Director of the Black Archives of Mid-America
Ms. Geraldlyn Sanders, Assistant to the President of the KC Art Institute, activist in M.A.G.I.C., KIAANAFH Board
Dr. Khadijah Matin, former National President Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, KIAANAFH Board
Ms. Edith Walker, math teacher at the Commonwealth School in Boston, KIAANAFH Treasurer
Ms. Deborah Tucker, retired librarian, Wayne State University, KIAANAFH Board
Rev. Robert L. Baynham, Pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Temple in KC, KS, KIAANAFH Vice President
Dr. Willard R. Johnson, retired Professor of Political Science at MIT and KIAANAFH President

Watch this space for future postings of text and video from the presentations at this event.

FEATURED LINKS

African Native American Genealogy Forum for all topics on Black/Indian connections, especially the recent controversies regarding restoration of historic citizenship rights for "Freedman"
Freedmen Descendants of the 5 Tribes website
Creek Freedman Organization

For current news from an Indian nations perspective, click here

The "Bleeding Kansas Heritage Area Project" has been transformed into the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area (click here for its website)-- --
(for information on ALL the Heritage Areas, click here )

Black Archives of Mid-America

BLACK PAST: African American History through people and places;
see especially the vignette of Seminole Chiefs Billy Bowleg (Halpata & Sonaki Micco)

National Resources for doing genealogy on African Americans and Native Americans

AfroAmerican Historical and Genealogy Society

Afrigeneas - genealogy and history site

African American Museum Wichita

Mid West Indian Center Wichita

Heart of America Indian Center KC MO

African-Native online exhibit National American Indian Museum

Regarding the historic underground railroad site at the Quindaro Ruins:
listen to an interesting radio interview on the KC Currents show at KCUR (brought to our attention by Marvin S. Robinson II) http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/kcur/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1837930

For an earlier Los Angeles Times archive article on the Quindaro Ruins site: Click here

FIND FURTHER RESOURCE LINKS BELOW

The KIAANAFH is an independent, non-profit, membership organization founded in 1991 to promote the preservation, documentation and appreciation of family identity, traditions, and achievements of the members of the African American and Native American communities of the Mid-West United States. The KIAANAFH aims to assist families with a regional base of ancestral roots and widely scattered branches, to know, preserve, strengthen and celebrate their own achievements.

The KIAANAFH was founded by persons whose parents or grandparents were/are still resident in Kansas, or whose current work is associated with the study and preservation of historical material relating to Kansas. Many of them represent mixtures of African American and Native American descent, or have "Freedman," and/or “comrade in arms” connections with Native American peoples. Many of them are academicians, in a variety of fields, who can help identify and mobilize resources to assist families to document themselves more fully and to preserve their important memorabilia. In particular, they aim to improve the resource base for revealing and commemorating the often neglected and difficult to document aspects of African American and Native American genealogical and historical relationships.

Monetary contributions made to the KIAANAFH are tax deductible.

Other KIAANAFH PAST ACHIEVEMENTS include:

* Transcription of a “breakout session” panel at the 57^th Annual Session of the National Council of American Indians that focussed on "The Legacy and Future of Black/Indian Relations." The session was organized by former Cherokee Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller, with the assistance of Dr. Willard R. Johnson and the KIAANAFH. The transcription was rendered by Dr. Johnson and is published for posting here and in print by the KIAANAFH. Click on this link for the transcription of this NCAI session on BLACK/ INDIAN RELATIONS - TRANSCRIPT. You may download and print this transcription for personal, classroom, civic organizational or other strictly non-commercial uses only.

For an extensive bibliography and resource list developed by participants in this panel under the leadership of Chief Mankiller and Dr. Patrick Minges, click the link below.

click here for Bibliography on historic connections between African Americans and Native Americans

* Humboldt, Kansas Commemoration Ceremony of "Tracing Trails of Blood on Ice: The Great Escape" of Indians and Blacks into Kansas." This 1861/2 flight was led by the Muskogee leader Opothleyahola and reflected a "comrades in arms" collaboration between thousands of Native Americans and hundreds of African Americans to escape slavery and/or the Confederacy. You may order a copy of our DVD about this ceremony, held in June, 2000. -- $20 for members, plus $4 shipping. $25 plus shipping for non-members. Please note that this video is under copyright protection by the KIAANAFH and may not legally be reproduced without our permission. Click the next link for text and photo material relating to the this ceremony!

The Negro History Bulletin of Jan.-Dec. 2001 (Vol. 64) carried an article by Willard R. Johnson regarding this story and a commemoration of it held in Humboldt, KS in June of 2000. Click here for a text only copy of this individual article for non-commercial use (click here for estimated route map). The whole issue containing this article and teaching guides may be purchased through the web site of th Association for the Study of African American Life and History, publications archive website: ASAALH publication archive store

* Contributions to the planning for the original "Bleeding Kansas Heritage Area", including the LeRoy Kansas Opothleyahola Memorial site that is part of that tour area, as part of a 4-county Heritage Tour area that was inspired by and based on the story commemorated in KIAANAFH's June 2000 "Great Escape" ceremony, called "Tracing Trails of Blood on Ice."
--- for a photograph and more information on that site, click here---
The whole trail will be part of the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area mentioned above.