The 36th National AAHGS conference will celebrate Virginia’s unique place in African-American family history while recognizing that the year 2015 also marks the anniversaries of various national events in the history of the Civil War, Emancipation, and the Civil Rights Movement. The conference will explore Virginia family history, local and national episodes in the American history narrative, and connections between Virginia and the rest of the nation. The theme of the Annual Conference this year is “Where African-American Roots Run Deep: Family History and the National Narrative.”

Mr. Duckenfield, a former member of the Board of Directors of the AAHGS, will speak about the legal implications of Robert Carter III’s Great Manumission of slaves in 1770 Virginia. On his mother’s side, Mr. Duckenfield is a descendant of the Thompson and Newman families manumitted by Robert Carter.

The mission of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, Inc. (AAHGS) is to preserve African-ancestored family history, genealogy, and cultural diversity by teaching research techniques and disseminating information throughout the community. The primary goal of the AAHGS is to promote scholarly research, provide resources for historical and genealogical studies, create a network of people with similar interests, and assist members in documenting their histories.