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The Eastern People of Color History Initiative

After I researched Rose, Mr. Goodwyn offered for both Malana and I to present our work to the Virginia Beach Genealogical Society. We agreed to present and began working on how we can present our work to an audience of professionals 

We knew Mr. Goodwyn was presenting as well and wanted us to present after him. Malana and I needed to figure out how to transition from Mr. Goodwyn's presentation, while also condensing our work into a presentation. We agreed to keep either side of our presentation under ten minutes, with a small overview of the work we did during the Fall semester. That would give Mr. Goodwyn time to introduce us and give the crowd information about the work we did before our project. However, to condense our work into a presentation, we made sure to use images and graphics to cut down on the amount of words on each slide. The result was a presentation that was around eighteen minutes long and explained all of the genealogical research we did for our respective slaves. 

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The Event

The event Virginia Beach Genealogical Society, was hosted in the Meyera E. Oberndorf Central Library on April 19th, 2025. Despite some technical difficulties, Mr. Goodwyn's presentation went well, along with Malana and I. However, the only criticism I had was to slow down and keep control of my nerves when I was on stage. The audience enjoyed the presentation nonetheless, with many finding it informative and well constructed. During the event, I also met the creator of MilesFiles and many other genealogical societies around the Virginia Eastern Shore. After the meet and greet, I watched the other presenters to see how they conducted their research so I could add their techniques to my work. 

My Reflection

The event and the presentation were an overall great experience to learn from and grow from as a new genealogical researcher. I knew part of the work was to document my work, but this event gave me a chance to see how I can translate my work to the wider public. Though the presentation went well, now I still need to work on my stage presence and management so I can better convey my research confidently. However, I also learned how large the community was for genealogy and how passionate people were about connecting people to their ancestors. I met with my professional and personal genealogist, who wanted to share their work about their research of a family or their own. In addition, meeting that genealogist made me aware of a potential career path to passion to difve into as a future historian.

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