If you are among my genea-friends on Twitter, there’s a good chance you joined me — by way of *tweet* — on one of the most exciting genea-days I’ve EVER experienced!

In short, my plans were to arrive early at the Rialto Theatre lecture of Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (sponsored by the Liberian International Development Foundation), get a “peek” at THE Skip Gates and then jet back to Coca-Cola in time for my 3PM meeting. *tweet* >> Well, looks like I’m all ready for this afternoon’s lecture by Dr. Henry Louis Gates! Woot-woot!:-)

BUT obviously, the Ancestors had other plans that I was not aware of!:-)

I did not plan to find myself standing next to Event Coordinator, Ivo Philbert’s Aunt (so sweet she was!:-) and that my good-natured teasing of not being granted a ticket with a “red star”, would lay the foundation for the afternoon’s events.

As a just in case gesture, I’d printed copies of questions received [via Twitter] from Angela Walton-Raji that echoed the genealogy community’s strong desire to benefit from the amazing resources and genetic testing technology, shared with African-American Lives and Faces of America celeb recipients.

However when Ivo informed me that Dr. Gates would not be taking questions, I sucked it up and sent my *tweet* >> Just found out Dr. Gates will not be taking questions!:-(

Moving on, I took my Orchestra seat and waited and *tweeted*…

By the time Dr. Gates took the stage I’d learned quite a bit about the migration of manumitted slaves to Liberia in the early 1800s — honestly never really knew this — and was getting antsy because the clock was ticking and I needed to GO!

One of the biggest surprises of the afternoon, was just how likable and engaging Skip (that what we Atlantan’s call him!:-) Gates was! Sure, I’ve always respected his work and deemed him a cultural role model but I never expected that a lecture from Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. would feel like a conversation with a really cool, well-informed dude from the community. Lawd, Skip Gates is OLD-SCHOOL!

Now, I didn’t want to leave. I wanted to hear more. The mini-video, sharing snippets of African-American Lives choked me up (as usual) and for the record — I love me some Don Cheadle! His presentation deck made my genealogy-habit hungry, of course I asked Ivo for a copy which he politely replied – nope!:-)

I was hooked — sharing laughs, life stories and the beauty of genealogy research with Skip Gates! How could I leave?!

When I finally got the strength to head for the door, Ivo caught my arm to inform me that Dr. Gates was going to accept questions AND that my questions would be answered! *tweet* >> OMG!!! Publicist just grabbed my arm — Gates is gonna take our questions!!!

If that wasn’t enough, when I showed Ivo that a COMMUNITY of dedicated GeneaBloggers were following me tweet-for-tweet, he quickly found me a power source down in the “red star” section (Uh-huh!:-) where I could plug-up my laptop and get busy!

I was told that when the lecture ended to make my way to the mic and be ready to ask my question! *tweet* >> I am scared senseless!:-) OMG! How did I get myself into this @AYWalton!!!

When I finally calmed down and got my turn, after introducing myself of course, I asked:

America’s strength is in her ordinary people. Any plans in the future to focus on them as the real “faces” of America?

I was thrilled to hear Dr. Gates respond that he was currently in talks with PBS regarding a series much like that — BINGO! When he referenced the AAL2 Contest Winner Kathleen Henderson, as one of America’s real faces, I acknowledged that yes, she was ONE real face but thousands of genealogists want the opportunity she was afforded and suggested a History Detectives type workshop that would empower genealogists with the tools they need to seek out their own answers!

When Dr. Gates remarked that a workshop was a great idea and informed the crowd that I was the REAL DEAL I was as done as a good Thanksgiving Day Turkey!:-)

It took me 20 minutes — talking, shaking hands, writing down contact info (yes — I need a business card!:-) and accepting information from attendees — to make it back to my seat to gather my computer.

Aside from my unexpected but awesome opportunity, I also learned that Dr. Gates and Ethelbert J.L. Cooper of Liberia have formed a new foundation African African-American Foundation (A2A) that I am anxious to learn more about AND that in Gates own words, they will “revolutionize the public school history curriculum” when they take DNA testing to the Inner-City! Wooo-hooo!:-)

This is THE KEY to turning our youth around — empowering them with the knowledge of who they are!

Aside from EVERYTHING great that happened today (including my 5 minutes of fame!), this was the moment, the words, that meant the most to me — work being invested in healing the spirits of our youth (our future)!

Dr. Gates ended the lecture by simply saying:

Genealogy will transform your life…

You certainly got that right — Genealogy can transform a life, has forever transformed mine and God willing, will continue to do so for MANY years to come…

So happy to have chatted with you [Skip ~ we're on a first name basis ya'll!:-] and looking forward to doing it again real soon — coffee is on me!:-)

Still floating on air…

Luckie “with the big cheezy grin” Daniels.

[Special thanks to Ivo Philbert of IVO Consulting, you are EVERYTHING an Event Coordinator should be and more! Without a doubt, you hooked a Sistah up!:-]

Dear Dr. Gates,

By way of Twitter, via a Rob Stanhope {aka @MaineRoots} *tweet*, I discovered the online magazine of which you are Editor-In-Chief this morning – The Root, and have spent the last hour or so, reading and taking in 50 Years of Black History.

In 2010, we the descendants of emancipated slaves, really live in an amazing place and time!

A time where we have the opportunity to offer our perspective freely, in the format of our choosing. A time where our collective and individual voice matters. A time when we can turn on the TV and show our sons and daughters the face of a President who looks just like them — and many, MANY other honorable, successful, brown Americans along with him.

Albeit far from perfect, to a large degree, this is the day our Ancestors prayed and hoped for. A day that presented opportunity.

I think only when you view a retrospective like 50 Years of Black History do you realize how far as a people we’ve traveled and to what degree our Ancestors and Freedom Liberators fought to allow us to live as we do today.

I’ve followed your work for many years Dr. Gates, and while I respect your achievements in education, it is your ability to rebirth long forgotten and/or lost genealogical histories, that I most admire. You skillfully piece together lineage that has been broken and offer Ancestors redemption — you restore their rightful place in our history and memories.

What a gift to have!

I am inspired by and own your African-American Lives Series. I regularly share it with my kids, so they’ll better understand the broad impact of Slavery to our culture — celebrities and non-celebrities alike, we share a common challenge with tracing our genealogical roots.

I am equally as anxious to view your upcoming Faces of America Series, to see what mysteries will be revealed amongst the broader American culture being featured. I suspect, it will show us that underneath it all, we {brown-red-white-yellow}, are really not so different.

However I do have one, small request. I ask that you also consider — in the sharing of your gift — the lesser known, non-celebrity descendants who both want and need to know who they are.

Unlike the celebrities you’ve featured, we spend COUNTLESS hours in search of our Ancestors histories, often exhausting our personal finances to do so.

While I know it’s not likely that you could personally provide services, it would be wonderful if your research team could host “history detective” style workshops in various cities and/or establish a [much needed] presence at the Family History Expos that move throughout the country.

Even a live-chat or WebEx type of engagement with researchers could be beneficial to helping tackle our respective “brick walls”.

With the advanced technology tools we have at our fingertips daily, there are many ways that we, the on-the-ground family historians, could benefit from your research expertise and knowledge.

To yield a true communal impact, we need a grassroots genealogy movement that produces a mountain of successes.

It would be wonderful if you and your team could help lead the way.

Supporting you always,

Luckie Daniels.
www.OurGeorgiaRoots.com

[Image Source: www.TheRoot.com - Feb. 1, 1960, four students at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical College in Greensboro, N.C., begin a sit-in at Woolworth's Drug Store.]