The African-American Genealogy Group of Kentucky, LLC
OUR Story...
The African-American Genealogy Group of Kentucky (AAGGKY) was formed in January 2011 by eleven researchers interested in preserving the history of Kentucky’s African American generations and telling the “other” side of the story. We incorporated in April 2011. The rest is history.
The group as initially conceived grew out of the frustrating exceptions encountered when researching Black history. Traditional research was roadblocked by slavery. Record-keeping bowed to the whimsies of Jim Crow. Simply finding the hiding records was and is a major undertaking. Who knew that a whole race of people could be filed under 'a' for African, 'b' for black, 'c' for colored, 'n' for negro, n*****, or none of the above; in the back of the book, un-indexed, and sometimes not there at all. And then, who to tell when you finally unlocked the key, found the missing piece of the puzzle? Who to share with? Along the way we met like-minded travelers.
This is how the AAGGKY came to be, the first of its kind in Kentucky - By sharing.
Our
Logo
We wanted an emblem symbol, easily recognizable, to show who we were and what we are all
about. Kentucky with it its jagged edges contains our story…”Life hasn't always been
easy”. Bound hands with chains broken, carry the weight of slavery, but also the promise of
freedom. Our logo symbolizes the story of being Black in the Bluegrass.
Our
Membership
We wanted our membership open to anyone interested in researching, preserving,
and sharing the stories of Kentucky’s African American generations. It has grown from the original eleven representing Scott, Franklin and Fayette Counties to a following in the hundreds representing the United States from California to New York, Texas to Maine.
We serve on Boards…of history, genealogy, museums, libraries, and research institutes.
We are plumbers, janitors, teachers, preachers and presidents and truck drivers. We are African. We are Caucasian. We are Native. We are American. We are Kentuckian. We are as economically and culturally diverse as our heritage suggests. We are the African-American Genealogy Group of Kentucky.
Our Mission
Our stories are often hidden in un-indexed volumes, stored forgotten on dusty shelves and omitted from the traditional history books of our country. With every passing minute we are losing our histories to death, memory loss, and record destruction. By focusing on aspects of research unique to the Black community. The AAGGKY provides a venue for researchers, historians, both black and white, to share their strategies and findings. The AAGGKY is attempting to minimize this loss. Our mission is to save our history and pass it on.
To share, the AAGGKY meets monthly on Third Saturday. To maximize involvement, the meetings are held in varying sites in and around Central Kentucky. In 2012, we met in Franklin, Fayette, Madison, Bourbon, Jessamine, Mercer and Boyle Counties. Our 2013 calendar has meetings scheduled in Woodford, Jefferson, Scott, Madison, Jessamine, and Fayette counties.
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"I too am of the hills, my folks have corn rowed tobacco, laid track, strip mined, worshipped and whiskied from Harlan to Maysville, old Dunbar to Central...We put the heat in the hot brown and gave it color. Indeed some of the bluegrass is black."
from Kentucke by
Frank X. Walker
Poet Laureate
Kentucky - 2013
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For more information on future sites, topics, and membership, contact:
African-American Genealogy Group of Kentucky P.O. Box 1211 Frankfort, KY 40602 Email: [email protected] Website: www.aaggky.org Telephone: 1.502.422.4457 |
Additional Contact Information:
Sharyn Mitchell, President: 1.502.682.5082 |
