The Scratching Your Roots Black Geneology Society
‘Sankofa’ means “It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten”
Connecting us to our lineage and ancestors
The Scratching Your Roots Black Genealogy Society was created to assist African Americans in their search for ancestral connections.
Partnering with the Chattanooga Downtown Public Library, we host free, bi-monthly educational sessions where we share the basics of genealogy with our community, including hands-on research assistance, online tools, lectures, and books.
Honoring our ancestors grounds us and gives us all opportunities to learn & heal together.
We learn about ourselves and our loved ones through the stories we share.
Placing the pieces of our shared stories in context with each other liberates us as individuals and brings us closer together in our families. We believe our stories are important and that each generation of every family should have at least one family historian.
The Chattanooga Public Library: Our Indispensable Partner
The Downtown Public Library's little-known secret is its 3rd floor Genealogy and History section. The staff provides expertise in Genealogy research, laptops during our meetings, assistance with searching on the free Ancestry.com software, and space for speakers when needed.
Join Us
The Scratching Your Roots Black Genealogy Society, in partnership with the Chattanooga Festival of Black Arts & Ideas, meets every other month to discuss and explore family history research with support and resources from the Downtown Public Library’s Local History and Genealogy Department on the 3rd Floor.
Meetings are open to the public, and we welcome anyone interested in learning more about African American genealogy.
About Marie Stoudemire
Marie's passion for genealogy was ignited after being orphaned at 9 years old and growing up with limited knowledge of her maternal family. At age 20, she embarked on a quest to uncover her mother's lineage, attending family gatherings and meticulously collecting data despite the absence of written records.
Inspired by family gatherings and armed with a determination to piece together her heritage, Marie diligently collected data and documented her findings, starting with simple sheets of paper and eventually utilizing genealogy programs at the Chattanooga Public Library for more affordable research options.
About Gwen Davis
Gwen first became interested in genealogy when she saw the groundbreaking ‘Roots’ TV series in 1977, which portrayed the lives of African Americans spanning centuries. Her dedication to preserving her family’s collective records and memories solidified when she attended her 90-year-old great uncle's birthday party, where she suddenly realized how the wealth of her family information was at risk of being lost with his passing.
The origins and meaning of ‘Sankofa’
[SAHN-koh-fah]
‘Sankofa’ is Twi word from the Akan Tribe of Ghana that loosely translates to, “go back and get it.” Its literal translation comes from the Akan proverb, "Se wo were fi na wosan kofa a yenkyiri," meaning, "It is not taboo to go back for what you forgot (or left behind)." Sankofa is a phrase that encourages learning from the past to inform the future, reaching back to move forward, and lifting as we climb.