Welcome to The Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc. (CAAGRI). It's a mouthful to say (let alone to remember!) so we've kept it simple: CAAGRI.
I am a genealogist as are most of our users and volunteers. My journey began with the simple task of ordering a birth certificate for my Grandmother who was suffering from the early stages of Dementia. After several phone calls and many questions, I determined that there was something much more ominous about Grandma's birth story than what I was being led to believe. That was in 1991 and I still have some outstanding questions and alas, no birth certificate.
We all share similar stories, like mines, about our research. Whether it's an extremely obstinate member of the family who knows all but won't tell it, or members of the family who "just disappeared" off the face of the earth. I've met hundreds upon hundreds of people who have fascinating stories to share. Each with their own twists and turns but at the core, our stories are all the same which is the real dilemma for the African American community: How do we encourage our seniors to share invaluable information with us? How do we get our children interested in our history, as we know it? How do we record the countless legacies of heroics and tragedies in our families and communities? How do we empower the most under served and underemployed in our communities with the great sense of self and hope to carry our legacies forward?
The underlying principles of our organization was founded on the answers to these questions. We have worked diligently to develop programs that have real meaning to ordinary people. Our concept is unique in that there is no other organization like ours in the country, indeed the world. We do more than just offer free access to census records for our registered volunteers. We provide much needed technical training for the underemployed. We provide mentoring programs for at-risk youth. We provide our ancestors with a future by recording their pasts. We offer a spirit of community that has long since vanished with the days of massive struggle and lawful disobedience. We offer the same hope that our ancestors left for us.
I do believe that there is a time and a place for everything. As our historical landmarks are being threatened with "urban renewal", the time is now. As our seniors are dying and taking our histories with them, the time is now. As our privileged children with mediocre grades behave as though they have nothing to lose, the time is now. As the number of our at-risk children being assigned to "alternative" schools increase, the time is now. The time is now to make our history, American history, truthful and whole. The time is now and the place is CAAGRI.
My fervent hope is that we will continue to grow our communities by bringing families together that each never knew existed. I am absolutely convinced that if eight African American attorneys could successfully argue for change in the policies of the segregated United States of America (Brown v. Board of Education), surely, the over 1.5 million of us genealogists can find a substantive way to guarantee that our legacies are preserved for future generations to enjoy and cherish.
Please join us on our journey towards reconciliation and reclamation by volunteering to help us help others.
