CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As part of Black History Month, the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is hosting several events geared to highlight African-American history and culture.
The latest event dives into how community members can search for enslaved ancestors.
At Charlotte's West Boulevard branch, community members can do more than check out books. They can also dive deeper into African-American ancestry.
Phillip Branch recently retired and decided to take part in the course. He said it's important for the community, regardless of age, to understand their history.
“You really need to understand where you come from," Branch said. "Classes like this give you that ability. Everybody needs to know where they come from.”
Danielle Pritchett is the first designated Genealogy Librarian who works with a team of researchers at the Robinson-Spangler Carolina Room with Charlotte Mecklenburg Library. She said the best part of her job is being the bridge for community members and their history.
“Hopefully they can discover those stories and then they can pass them down to the younger generation," Pritchett said.
The event provides useful search tips on how to dig through historic documents and help community members like Marlene Claiborne connect with their roots.
“Now I have great-grandchildren. So I'm sharing the stories with my daughters, their daughter, and their children, and then they shared with me that I have a great, great-grandchild. So I'm sharing with him," Claiborne said.
The hope is to continue being the bridge for Charlotte for years to come.
“When they start developing their research strategies and learning more about their families and just that excitement, and they take it to their families and they get their families excited and it just keeps on going down the line," Pritchett said.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.