Exploring the stories of African American men and women in war-torn Virginia Presentation at MPAAGHS Monthly Meeting

July 8, 2023

Middle Peninsula African-American Genealogical and Historical Society (MPAAGHS) invites you to a virtual meeting on Saturday, July 8, 2023, at 11:00 AM (Eastern Time). The meeting will feature a talk entitled "Finding Freedom: Exploring the stories of African American men and women in war-torn Virginia." The talk will be given by Adrienne G. Whaley, the Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia.

It's 1781, in Virginia, and the Revolutionary War is raging in what was – and might still be – the British North American colonies. In this session, attendees will discover the stories of Andrew Ferguson, Deborah, Eve, Jack, and London, five people of African descent who lived in this tumultuous time and place and whose stories are told through an award-winning online interactive resource created by the Museum of the American Revolution, called Finding Freedom. Their experiences will be placed into the larger context of the American Revolution and people of African descent within it. Attendees will see examples of the primary source documents that were used to piece together their stories – from Botetourt and Fairfax Counties in Virginia to Monroe County, Indiana and New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, Canada – and will also get a sneak peek at exciting new documents in the Museum's collection that lift up the stories of Black and Native American Revolutionaries up the coast in Connecticut and Rhode Island.

Adrienne G. Whaley is an educator and history-lover who earned her Bachelor's degree in African American Studies from Harvard University and her Master's in Education from the University of Pennsylvania. She has worked in both art and history museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the African American Museum in Philadelphia, and the Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, and loves the potential for objects, artifacts, and primary source documents to enrich student learning experiences. She carries her love of history and for uncovering the stories of common people into her spare time as an avid genealogist researching her own family history and as Programming Chair and former President of Philadelphia's African American Genealogy Group. As both a museum educator and a genealogist, she has presented on television and in workshops and conferences both locally and nationally.

MPAAGHS 2023 dues of $20 are due and payable. Contributions are also being accepted for the MPAAGHS Highway Marker Initiative. Payments may be made electronically via MPAAGHS's Payments webpage or by mailing checks made payable to MPAAGHS to:
MPAAGHS
4114 Tidewater Trail
Jamaica, VA 23079

If you are not on our email list and would like to receive an invitation for this virtual meeting or to get further information about MPAAGHS, call 804.758.5163.