Reclaiming Our Time: Genealogy and DNA 'Big Reveal" for nine families in Richmond, Virginia's historic Jackson Ward Gilpin Court Community

Reclaiming Our Time: Genealogy and DNA 'Big Reveal" for nine families in Richmond, Virginia's historic Jackson Ward Gilpin Court Community FREDERICKSBURG, Virginia: The Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc., a 501(c)(3) organization that specializes in reclaiming the historical personal narratives of the African diaspora has announced its 'Big Reveal' signature program, Reclaiming Our Time, in Richmond, Virginia. Reclaiming Our Time first launched in the City of Fredericksburg in 2022 and revealed a network of abolitionists and DNA ancestry traceable to Senegal, Egypt, Ethiopia, Jamaica, and Italy among other nations.The Virginia Museum of History & Culture will host this historic event on Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 2:00 pm. Reclaiming Our Time will reveal the genealogy and DNA research results for the following Gilpin Court families: Bryant, Barbour, Anderson, Brown, Gilbert, Clay, Rodwell, Jeffries, and Cotman. The research covers everything from abolitionists to the Revolutionary War. "Africans who served in the fight to liberate American colonists from their oppressors are mere post-scripts in the annals of history. One participant will learn that they had such a person in their family", said Dr. Paula D. Royster the founder and CEO of CAAGRI.Immediately following the 'Big Reveal', descendants will participate in a ceremonial wedding to honor the love and commitment their ancestors shared when the laws of Virginia either forbade such marriages or made it too expensive for "free" people to wed. In 1840, an African man had to pay $150 bond if he wanted to marry the woman he loved-the equivalent of $5,260.50 today. Many bonds were never paid, but couples spiritually tied the knot as husband and wife even if they did not live in the same neighborhood. Participants will receive ceremonial vows, exchange symbols, and jump the iconic broom to complete the ritual. Copies of the ceremonial marriage certificates will be presented to the Clerk of the Court for recording in a separate index created specifically for this program.Reclaiming Our Time fits in with the broader city goals to reconnect Gilpin Court with Jackson Ward whose economies and social cohesion was disrupted by interstates 95 and 64 more than 70 years ago. According to Royster, "it is important that we recognize the relationship between mental health trauma and not knowing your family story. It is also important to acknowledge the 1950s dislocations that compounded existing trauma in Jackson Ward. Jackson Ward was built on the ideas of family, community, and self-determination, and it is time to reclaim that history hidden in plain view."The Virginia Museum of History & Culture is located at 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, VA.###CAAGRI3102 Plank Road, #4111422404The Center for African American Genealogical Research, Inc. (CAAGRI) - founded in 2004, to assist genealogists and histories with viewing history from a different perspective.