Charlotte hosts African American genealogy conference weekend with workshops, films, and Cedar Grove Cemetery tour

A Black History Month gathering focused on family research

A weekend of genealogy programming is scheduled in Charlotte as the North Carolina chapters of the Afro-American Historical & Genealogical Society (AAHGS) bring their annual conference to the city during Black History Month. The one-day conference is set for Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026, with registration beginning at 8:30 a.m. and sessions running until 5 p.m. at the Friendship Missionary Baptist Church Conference Center, 3400 Beatties Ford Road.

The statewide conference rotates among the organization’s North Carolina chapters—Greensboro, Raleigh, Fayetteville and Charlotte. In 2026, the Charlotte chapter is the host, offering a program that mixes introductory instruction with advanced techniques for researching African American lineage and community history.

Program structure: classes, keynote, and documentary interludes

Organizers describe 12 classes spread across three sessions, with planned breaks that include short film screenings related to the Civil War and civil rights. The agenda lists an opening poem by Michael Connor following the welcome and before the keynote address.

Ric Murphy is scheduled as the keynote speaker. The published program also lists Murphy as a presenter later in the day on lineage societies.

• Session topics include beginning genealogy, advanced full-text searching, and creating family trees and presentations using Canva.
• Additional sessions are listed on heirs property, land and family history, and working with local institutional resources.
• A presentation on using artificial intelligence in family history research is also included on the schedule.

Local institutions and community history are part of the curriculum

Among the listed presenters is a community engagement librarian/archivist from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, scheduled to discuss resources available through the university library. The program also includes a film segment tied to a Civil War story titled “Lessons from Ebenezer Creek,” with a separate documentary segment featuring the Kirkpatrick brothers and their work through Stirring the Ashes, LLC.

The conference materials frame the weekend as a combination of skills training, preservation strategy, and community networking for researchers at different experience levels.

Weekend add-ons: Friday meet-and-greet and Sunday cemetery tour

The Charlotte chapter’s event listings show two additional in-person activities. A meet-and-greet is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Mr. Charles Chicken & Fish, 8006 Cambridge Common Drive, with attendees purchasing their own dinner. A historic Black cemetery tour is scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Cedar Grove Cemetery in Charlotte.

Cost and participation

The conference listing shows an admission price of $25. The weekend programming also includes vendor options and advertising placements in a conference brochure, along with a raffle tied to conference registration.