African-American Faith and Heritage in Rockdale County
FAIN: PY-258596-18
Conyers Rockdale Library System (Conyers, GA 30012-5308)
Mary Jean Harrison (Project Director: May 2017 to present)
A day-long digitization event for heritage
materials from African American church congregations in Conyers, Georgia. The scanning event, held in partnership with
the Rockdale County Genealogical Society, would welcome public contributions of
items such as family trees, personal letters, award certificates, baptism
certificates, family bible pages, and other historical objects. The applicant aims to address an imbalance in
existing community archival holdings, in which the area’s large African
American population is represented mainly in slave schedules and records of a
few prominent families. Digitized
materials would be shared via the Digital Library of Georgia. The applicant also plans three public
programs produced in collaboration with Georgia HomePLACE. A “Local Voices” speaker program would
provide a forum for African American community leaders to share heritage
stories; experts would train the Rockdale Genealogical Society and members of
the public in the use of digitization equipment; and a program would educate
participants on conducting genealogical research.
African-American churches in
Rockdale County have long served as vital community hubs in our increasingly
diverse and growing population. The Library will expand opportunities for these
congregations to document and preserve their histories. For the ‘African-American
Faith and Heritage’ project, we will reach out to churches to invite community
members to bring heritage materials for digital preservation. Participants at
the day-long scanning event will be able to submit and share online through the
Digital Library of Georgia. In conjunction with the scanning event, the Library
will host a speaker program called “Local Voices” as well as programs to
educate participants on conducting genealogical research. The Nancy Guinn
Memorial Library will seek advice and training from the Rockdale Genealogical
Society and Georgia HomePLACE. With this project, Rockdale County will have
extended the documentation of its rich heritage throughout our African-American
congregations.