Lunch and Learn: “African-Diasporic Peoples of Oklahoma and Indian Territories: Genealogy, Story & Culture” presentation by Shelby R. B. Ward

The State of Oklahoma and Indian Territories are home to various African-Diasporic people groups, from Five Tribes Freedmen Communities to All-Black Towns and beyond. In this “Lunch and Learn” webinar, attorney, genealogist, and community historian Shelby Ward (Choctaw Freedman) will address key themes in the genealogy of African-descendent peoples and share research tips for people exploring black communities in Oklahoma. Topics include studying migration patterns, reading self-reflective sources of knowledge, and creating cultural artifacts for family storykeeping.

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About the presenter

Shelby B. Ward is an attorney, Choctaw Freedman, community historian, and genealogist. She is a cofounder of the Beck Genealogical Society and the Oklahoma Freedmen Collective. Shelby has trained Knoxville Family History Center staff on the subject of African Diaspora genealogy, history, and culture. She is a member of the Trail of Tears Association, Tennessee Chapter and honors those that were removed on the Cherokee Trail of Tears through local preservation and commemoration efforts. Shelby is the 2019 recipient of the Midwest African American Genealogy Institute’s Judge Lewis Nixon Scholarship. She graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law and Howard University. Her undergraduate historiography paper was “Northern Lights, Southern Waters: The Black Church in the North and South.” Currently, Shelby lives in Lenoir City with her husband and two children, Bishop and Rebekah.

Shelby has researched her family history since childhood. As the granddaughter of a WWII veteran and the daughter of an army officer, family legacy were instilled in her at an early age. Her storytelling mother also gave her an appreciation of and depth of understanding regarding her personal family history. Her family has roots in several places, including the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations, Scott county, Mississippi; Lamar county, Texas; Seminole county, Oklahoma; and Fort Smith, Arkansas

Ward holds a Juris Doctorate and a Master of Science in Ecology from the University of Tennessee. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Howard University. Her senior history paper discussed the role of the Black Church in the African American experience from the slavery era to the civil rights movement era. Ward is a graduate of an International Baccalaureate Diploma Program.