How the Smithsonian Is Helping Black Americans Trace Their Roots

"Retired Marine Leander Holston had uncovered some interesting facts about his family. Using the genealogy website MyHeritage to build a family tree, he’d created an extensive database of relatives going back three generations on his father’s side. He learned about uncles he’d never met and discovered that the surname passed down to him by his father was only carried by a few of the men in his family.

But when it came to researching his mother’s roots, Holston wasn’t having as much success. Drawing on census records, he identified his maternal grandmother, whose maiden name was Dixie Pearson. Though a man named John or Henry Pearson appeared to be her father, their birth dates weren’t quite lining up. He was born in the 1870s; Holston had expected his great-grandfather to be born a few decades earlier, closer to the 1850s. Despite his best efforts, he was stumped.

Then, during a trip to Washington, D.C. for his wife’s birthday in August 2023, Holston visited the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC), where he stumbled upon the Robert Frederick Smith Explore Your Family History Center. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, visitors can sign up for free, in-person group genealogy sessions hosted by the center’s staff and volunteers. Hourlong, one-on-one virtual sessions are also available, so when Holston returned home to Pineville, North Carolina, he decided to turn to the NMAAHC genealogy team for advice from afar.

Genealogy reference assistant Lisa Crawley hosted Holston’s online session. She offered a different interpretation of the census records, suggesting Dixie’s presumed father was actually her brother. Holston attributes the confusion to the fact that the men seemingly shared the same name.

Techniques shared by Crawley showed Holston how to glean information more accurately from the data he finds. “That was a skill that I was lacking when I was trying to [conduct research] on my own without any help,” Holston adds. “The knowledge of how to actually go in and dig down … and follow a record through … was extremely beneficial to me.”

Genealogy researchers use military records, birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, wills, legal and court documents, and census records to help piece together the past. The resources referenced by NMAAHC’s team don’t currently include newspaper archives, which contain obituaries, but that “process is moving forward,” Crawley says..."
African American Genealogy 

Minorities and Women Are at Greater Risk for Alzheimer's Disease

"Are you more likely to get Alzheimer’s disease? Read about who is at risk and what you can do.

Hispanic and African Americans in the United States will see the largest increases in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias between 2015 and 2060.¹ Dementia is not a specific disease but rather a general term for the impaired ability to remember, think, or make decisions that interferes with doing everyday activities.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Current estimates are that about 5.8 million people in the United States have Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, including 5.6 million aged 65 and older and about 200,000 under age 65 with younger-onset Alzheimer’s.²

By 2060, the number of Alzheimer’s disease cases is predicted to rise to an estimated 14 million people, with minority populations being affected the most.¹

• Cases among Hispanics will increase seven times over today’s estimates.
• Cases among African Americans will increase four times over today’s estimates.

Health conditions such as heart disease and diabetes may account for these differences, as they are more common in the Hispanic and African American populations. Lower levels of education, higher rates of poverty, and greater exposure to adversity and discrimination may also increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease.²

Among all races, women are nearly two times more likely to be affected by Alzheimer’s disease than men.^1,2 The difference is due primarily to women living longer.²

Understanding the disparities in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias is the first step toward developing prevention strategies and targeting services to those most at risk for developing the disease..."
Alzheimer disease

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

"Get involved in prevention efforts, get tested, and get treatment.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is February 7. NBHAAD is a day to increase awareness about HIV among blacks/African Americans* and encourage people to get involved in prevention efforts, get tested, and get treatment if they have HIV.

HIV diagnoses have fallen in recent years among black/African American women (25% decline from 2010 to 2016) and heterosexual men (26% decline). Diagnoses among young black/African American gay and bisexual men (aged 13 to 24) decreased 5%. This good news shows that the nation’s HIV prevention efforts are helping reduce HIV infections among some blacks/African Americans.

Although the latest data show progress, we must continue our efforts. In 2017, nearly 17,000 blacks/African Americans received a new HIV diagnosis. Blacks/African Americans accounted for 43% of all HIV diagnoses in the United States and 6 dependent areas,** despite making up 13% of the U.S. population. Also, from 2010 to 2016, HIV diagnoses increased 40% among black/African American gay and bisexual men aged 25-34...."
Blacks and HIV?AIDS

African American Members of the United States Congress: 1870-2018

"In total, 153 African Americans have served in Congress. This total includes
  143 African Americans (137 Representatives and 6 Delegates) elected only to the House of Representatives;
 9 African Americans elected or appointed only to the Senate; and
 1 African American who has served in both chambers.

The first African American Members, Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi and Representative Joseph Rainey of South Carolina, both took the oath of office in 1870. These first two Members were among the 22 African American Members (2 in the Senate, 20 in the House) that began their service in the period of time after the Civil War but prior to the start of the 20th Century. After these first 22, the presence of African Americans in the Membership of Congress was not continuous and there were subsequent periods in both chambers with no African American Members..."
African Americans in Congress

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

"National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD) is February 7. Now in its 18th year, NBHAAD is a day to increase awareness about HIV among blacks/African Americans^* and encourage people to get involved in prevention efforts, get tested, and get treatment if they are living with HIV.

HIV diagnoses have fallen in recent years among African American women—declining 20% from 2011 to 2015. Diagnoses among young African American gay and bisexual men (aged 13 to 24) are now stable, after years of increases. This good news shows that the nation’s HIV prevention efforts are helping to reduce HIV infections among African Americans.

But there is still much work to do. In 2016, African Americans accounted for 44% of HIV diagnoses, despite making up 12% of the U.S. population.^** Also, HIV diagnoses are up  among African American gay and bisexual men aged 25-34—increasing 30% from 2011 to 2015..."
Black HIV/AIDS Day

The 1873 Colfax Massacre Crippled the Reconstruction Era

"The Reconstruction period that followed America's Civil War was one of the worst, most violent eras in American history. During that time, thousands of African-Americans were killed by domestic terrorists like the Ku Klux Klan who tried to reinforce antebellum policies of white supremacy. For many historians, one of the worst examples of this violence occurred 143 years ago today: the Colfax Massacre of 1873.

Immediately after the end of the Civil War, different factions began fighting over power. Bitter over the Confederacy’s loss, many white Southern Democrats tried their best to continue disenfranchising and restricting the rights of former slaves. At the same time, insurgent, white supremacist groups terrorized African-Americans throughout the South. In Louisiana, the fight over the postwar government was particularly bloody, as PBS’ American Experience series explores.."

Colfax Massacre

The Earliest Memoir by a Black Inmate Reveals the Long Legacy of Mass Incarceration

"In the fall of 2009, an unusual package arrived at the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, at Yale University. Inside was a leather-bound journal and two packets of loose-leaf paper, some bearing the stamp of the same Berkshire mill that once produced Herman Melville’s favorite writing stock.

Joined together under the title The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict, the documents told the story of an African-American boy named “Rob Reed,” who grew up in Rochester, New York, and had been convicted, in 1833, while still a child, of arson. Reed spent nearly six years in the House of Refuge, a juvenile home in Manhattan; he was released in 1839, but, accused of theft, he was soon behind bars again, this time at New York’s Auburn State Prison..."
Mass incarceration

Police Use of Nonfatal Force, 2002–11

"From 2002 to 2011, an annual average of 44 million persons age 16 or older had one or more face-toface contacts with police. Of those who had contact, 1.6% experienced the threat or use of nonfatal force by the police during their most recent contact.1 About 75% of those with force (1.2% of persons with police contact) perceived the force as excessive. A greater percentage of non-Hispanic blacks (2.8%) than non-Hispanic whites (1.0%) and Hispanics (1.4%) experienced excessive nonfatal force by police during their contact (figure 1). 
This report examines the prevalence, circumstance, and characteristics of incidents in which police threatened or used nonfatal force and whether these factors varied across resident race and Hispanic origin..."
Police and nonfatal force

American Experience vs American Expectations:an Updated Look at Private-sector Employment for Women, African Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans...

"American Experiences versus American Expectations illustrates the significant changes to the United States workforce during the 50 years since the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) opened its doors in 1965. The report is an updated look at the groundbreaking 1977 EEOC research Black Experiences Versus Black Expectations. Written by Dr. Melvin Humphrey, EEOC's then-director of Research, Black Experiences versus Black Expectations was the first major EEOC research report to use data collected through the EEO-1 survey to focus on the issue of racial inequality in the workforce. The report's title came from the gap between African American employment experiences in the workforce and expectations based on fair-share employment levels, defined at the time as the number of minorities employed at a rate equal to their employment availability. 

American Experiences versus American Expectations focuses on changes in employment participation from 1966 to 2013 not only for African Americans but also for Hispanics, Asian Americans, American Indians/Alaskan Natives, and women. The participation rate represents the percentage of workers from each demographic group that hold positions in the variety of categories reported in the EEO-1 survey.

Beginning in 1966 all employers with 100 or more employees (lower thresholds apply to federal contractors) have been required by law to file the Employer Information Report EEO-1 with the EEOC. In FY 2013 approximately 70,000 employers filed an EEO-1. These forms indicate the composition of an employer's workforces by sex and by race/ethnic category..."
American experiences

Uncovering History’s Black Women Inventors

"Black women throughout American history have impacted and contributed to our nation’s culture of innovation. Patents offer a unique lens through which to view history. By tracing the technologies patents protect—or once protected—as well as the inventors listed on those patents, an image of the past emerges. The United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted patents for more than 200 years. That’s a lot of history, and it contains many stories of successful black women who have changed the technological face of America. Today, black women continue to ignite the spark of genius and make key and meaningful contributions to America’s inventive process.>>"
Black women inventors

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day

"National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day was started 14 years ago to focus attention on HIV in blacks and African Americans,* the racial/ethnic group most affected by HIV in the United States.

Blacks make up only 12% of the U.S. population but had nearly half (44%) of all new HIV infections in the United States in 2010. Half of new HIV infections in blacks were in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men,** of whom younger gay and bisexual men (aged 13 to 24) were most affected. These young men, in fact, made up more new infections than any other age group of men or women, regardless of their race/ethnicity..."
Black HIVAIDS Awareness

African American History Month: February 2013

Find selected statistics on the African American community from the U.S. Census Bureau.
African American History Month: February 2013

The Black Alone Population in the United States: 2011

 Find the latest statistics on the African American population in the United States.
The Black Alone Population in the United States: 2011

Disparities in breast cancer continue among U.S. women

"Black women have higher death rates from breast cancer than any other racial or ethnic group. They are 40 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than white women, according to a Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Despite the decline in breast cancer death rates in the past 20 years, black women had higher death rates even though they had fewer new cases of breast cancer, the report says..."
http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2012/p11_14_breast_cancer.html

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day, February 7th

"Among all racial/ethnic groups, African Americans bear the greatest burden of HIV in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 16 black men and 1 in 32 black women will be diagnosed with HIV infection during their lifetimes. In 2009, blacks made up 14% of the US population but accounted for nearly half (44%) of all new HIV infections. Recent CDC data showed an alarming 48% increase in new HIV infections from 2006 to 2009 among young, black men who have sex with men (MSM), aged 13 to 29 years.."

African American History Month, February 2011

"To commemorate and celebrate the contributions to our nation made by people of African descent, American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for this celebration to coincide with the birthdays of abolitionist/editor Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. In 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month. Each year, U.S. presidents proclaim February as National African-American History Month..."

The Black Population: 2010

"This report provides a portrait of the Black population in the United States and discusses its distribution at the national level and at lower levels of geography.1, 2 It is part of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from the 2010 Census..."

Black Population: 2010 (2010 Census Briefs)

"This report provides a portrait of the Black population in the United States and discusses its distribution at the national level and at lower levels of geography.1, 2 It is part of a series that analyzes population and housing data collected from the 2010 Census. The data for this report are based on the 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File, which was the first 2010 Census data product released with data on race and Hispanic origin and was provided to each state for use in drawing boundaries for legislative districts..."

African Americans in Medicine:Selected Titles
Resources from the Library of Congress's Science, Technology, and Business Division concerning African American in medicine.

Census Bureau Reports the Number of Black-Owned Businesses Increased at Triple the National Rate
"From 2002 to 2007, the number of black-owned businesses increased by 60.5 percent to 1.9 million, more than triple the national rate of 18.0 percent, according to the U.S. Census Bureau's Survey of Business Owners. Over the same period, receipts generated by black-owned businesses increased 55.1 percent to $137.5 billion.

"Black-owned businesses continued to be one of the fastest growing segments of our economy, showing rapid growth in both the number of businesses and total sales during this time period,” said Census Bureau Deputy Director Thomas Mesenbourg.

These new data come from the Survey of Business Owners: Black-Owned Businesses: 2007. The survey provides detailed information every five years for black-owned businesses, including the number of firms, sales and receipts, number of paid employees and annual payroll..."