This program will focus on the unique challenges that African American researchers face in their genealogical research. Many techniques are the same for all researchers, but there are many more obstacles presented to the African American researcher because of their unique and often painful place in American history. There are some topics that are difficult to talk about but must be addressed in order to successfully research this area of genealogy. Whether you are a beginner or a more advanced researcher, there will be something for everyone. This presentation will also go into some more in-depth topics including DNA analysis and software tools that are also available.
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Rodney Barnett has been researching his family for over 20 years. Born in Washington DC, he was raised in the Prince George’s county, Maryland. Most of his research revolves around slavery in Virginia and Alabama. His travels include many trips to courthouses, cemeteries, family land, conferences, libraries, and other research facilities. Rodney has given many presentations of the subject of African American genealogy.

The Second Saturday Series is presented on the second Saturday of each month. Speakers present on a wide variety of topics from York County’s 270 years of history including people, places, and events that have had local, regional, or national impact.

Most programs are held in the Meeting Hall at the Historical Society Museum and begin at 10:30. If any program is at a different location or time that will be noted under the title of the program. Attending any of these presentations is free and open to the public.

February’s program will feature Dr. Peter B. Levy. Dr. Levy was a Full Professor in the Department of History and Political Science at York College of Pennsylvania, where he taught courses on Recent America, the Civil Rights Movement, and Race and Justice until his retirement last spring.  He is the author of over a dozen books, including: The Great Uprising: Race Riots in Urban America during the 1960s (Cambridge University Press, 2018) as well as numerous articles and essays, including “Revisiting York’s Revolts,” which was published in the Journal of York County Heritage in 2019.  He has been the recipient of a number of awards including the York College Professional Service and Leadership Award (2012) and has participated in three NEH Summer Seminars.  While he was born and raised in California, he has lived in Towson, Maryland since he began teaching at York in 1989.

Fifty plus years ago York, Pennsylvania experienced one of the most severe racial revolts.  Little noticed at the time by the national press and rarely discussed publicly by locals, York’s uprising captured international attention over thirty years later when York’s Mayor, Charlie Robertson, was arrested and charged in conjunction with the murder of Lillie Belle Allen, a black woman who was killed during the 1969 revolt. Drawing on his recently published book, The Great Uprising: Race Riots in Urban America, Dr. Peter Levy will present an overview of the causes and consequences of York’s revolt.  In addition to providing a framework for better understanding York’s and the well-over 300 revolts that took place during the 1960s, Levy hopes to stimulate a discussion of why it is important to examine them rather than hide the uncomfortable parts of our past.