Black History Month: Trace Your Ancestors

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Black History Month Trace Your Ancestors — Source: Kya Kelly / Radio One Cincinnati

This Black History Month, Radio One Cincinnati is turning the spotlight inward: honoring the powerful stories housed right here at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

As Urban One commemorates 100 Years of Black History under the theme “Legacy & Possibility,” we’re dedicating each week to uncovering untold Black stories rooted in Cincinnati.

Inside the museum, the John P. Parker Library & Family Search Center is giving visitors a direct path to explore their ancestry at no cost.

Episode Two: Black History Month: The Black Brigade of Cincinnati

Radio personality Lincoln Ware recently visited the center, speaking with coordinators Richard Schneider and Sharon Cross, on the process and what families can expect when they book an appointment.

For many Black families, tracing lineage isn’t straightforward. Enslaved people were often documented as property rather than listed by name in census records, creating gaps that still impact research today. That challenge is compounded by the Great Migration, when millions of Black Americans relocated across the country, further dispersing our family lines.

The center helps bridge those gaps using historical records, databases, and guided support; tools that can reconnect families with relatives and histories that were once difficult to trace.

Appointments are free and open to the public.

Watch the full video to see how the process works inside the John P. Parker Library & Family Search Center, located on the fourth floor of the Freedom Center.