Rhonda Barrow and
Melvin Collier, award recipients
Congratulations to
Atlanta! At the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical
Society’s 33rd Annual National Conference in Greensboro, NC on October 6, 2012, Atlanta was honored in three ways! First, our
Atlanta chapter received the 2012 Chapter
of the Year Award. Organized on
March 26, 2000, the AAHGS Metro Atlanta Chapter was officially chartered as an
AAHGS chapter on September 15, 2000. The organization started with 12 committed
members and has grown to nearly 100 members.
The Atlanta chapter has hosted a number of major events in the
community, including Ancestry Day at the National Archives in partnership with
Ancestry.com in 2010. This was an all-day
workshop with key note presenters from the National Archives in Washington,
D.C. Over 250 people attended. More recently, in February 2012, the chapter
presented an “African American Heritage Program on the Gullah Geechee Culture,”
in partnership with the National Archives at Atlanta and the Historical
Jonesboro Clayton County, Inc. African American Historic Committee. Over 350 attended. The AAHGS Metro Atlanta Chapter has not only
become the “go to” organization for African-American historical and
genealogical information, but the organization and its members have been sought
out to partner in programs with the Georgia Genealogical Society, the Cobb
County Genealogical Society, and the National Archives.
Secondly,
two Atlanta chapter members were honored in Greensboro. Our publicity chairperson, Rhonda Barrow, received the AAHGS Certificate of Appreciation Award. This award is presented to an individual or
team who has made a contribution to the Afro-American Historical and
Genealogical Society or its principles and who deserves a token of thanks. Barrow, who has been a very active member for
10 years, has been one of the key agents that have contributed to the Atlanta chapter’s
tremendous growth, an increase in membership by three folds, and the chapter’s ever
increasing high quality programming. She
is a “Friend of” and long-time volunteer with the prestigious Auburn Avenue
Research Library in Atlanta, which maintains the holdings of many African-American
historical resources. One of Barrow’s
most significant services to the community and to African-American history has
been her work with the Girl Scouts. A Girl
Scouts leader for 17 years, Barrow singularly commenced on a mission to search
out and document the African-American Girl Scout history in the Greater Atlanta
area. She went on a relentless search,
and among her amazing discoveries, Barrow found original photos and artifacts
that pertained to the original 1944 Atlanta area African American Girl Scout
Troop. She also found three members of the original Atlanta troop. Barrow then put together an exhibit at the
Regional Headquarters called “The Untold Story of Atlanta’s First African
American Girl Scout Troop”. This exhibit
received rave reviews from the community and from Girl Scout officials. Without her efforts, this significant
African-American history would have gone unheralded during the 100th year
celebration of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
Thirdly,
our vice president, Melvin J. Collier,
received the Marsha M. Greenlee AAHGS
History Award. This award is presented to a person or group for outstanding
and measurable achievements in the field of African-American history (e.g.,
history, anthropology, etc.) based on the publication of a book, dissertation,
or other manuscript produced by the recipient.
Collier has a Master of Arts degree in African-American Studies, and he
currently works at the Archives Research Center of the Robert W. Woodruff
Library – Atlanta University Center, where he has worked with other archivists
on the notable and extensive Morehouse College Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Collection. He is the author of two books, Mississippi to Africa: A Journey of
Discovery and 150 Years Later: Broken
Ties Mended. His books serve as great
models to assist those who want to trace their African-American family
histories. Collier’s books have also
been used by genealogical and historical scholars as great reference sources
for genealogical methodologies. Collier
is nationally recognized for his expertise in African-American genealogy and has
conducted numerous workshops and presentations around the nation on
genealogical and historical subjects. He
also appeared as one of the expert genealogists on the NBC program, Who Do You Think You Are.
Congratulations to the Atlanta Chapter and to Rhonda
Barrow and Melvin J. Collier!
