Today, January 20, celebrates the legacy of Martin Luther King, a pioneer Black leader and activist who promoted civil rights in the United States and gave his life for the cause. You can read about his life ana accomplishments in many books and websites, including Wikipedia.

Part of the awareness he helped to raise is the connection between generations in America. The Family History Guide has a helpful section on tracing family roots for those who are of African descent. You can find it in the Ethnic section at the bottom of the Countries menu. Here’s a brief summary of some of the useful resources you will find in those pages:

• • Learn the basics of African American research.
  • Use effective tips and techniques in African American research.
  • Learn how find record sources for African American ancestors.
  • Explore vital and census records.
  • Explore newspaper records for African Americans.
  • Explore other record types for African Americans.
  • Learn about resources in various libraries and archives.
  • Learn about other resources for research.
  • Learn about the basic records that document slaves.
  • Learn about the Freedmen’s Bank and Freedmen’s Bureau.
  • Learn about the National Underground Railroad.
  • Learn about African American research challenges and breakthroughs.
  • Trace your slave ancestors before the Civil War.
  • Use Facebook pages and other sources to get answers to your questions.

In addition to these topics, there is also a Vault section in The Family History Guide, where you can find links to addtional videos and articles about African American genealogy research, and more topics and links on many of the individual U.S. state pages. We hope you enjoy these resources!