New Hanover County Public Library recognizing Black History Month with events

NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) —The New Hanover County Public Library is celebrating Black History Month with several special offerings over the next few weeks.

Thanks to a partnership between the International African American Museum’s Center for Family History and the Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor, free webinars will be presented every Saturday this month.

Topics include African American Genealogy Challenges, United States Colored Troops, And “Payne-Ful” Business, Slave Traders in the Family. Children under the age of 18 are also invited to read a book by an African American author from the library then fill out a survey as a raffle entry for a prize of a gift card.

Children under the age of 18 are also invited to read a book by an African American author from the library, then fill out a survey to receive a raffle entry for a gift card.

“Those who are looking to research African American genealogy, this offers an opportunity to get to know some of those resources that may not be, –you know like the census records and things like that that are used for other genealogy research, and then for children, …especially books by African American authors, it’s a great opportunity to be exposed to different things,” said Dana Conners, New Hanover County Public Library director.

There will also be a local history professional at New Hanover County’s Public Library’s downtown Wilmington location, who will help people learn to utilize available resources presented in the webinars to research their genealogy.