Roots Reclaimed
Crossing the 1870 wall, together.
A WhatsApp community for people tracing African American and West African ancestry — records news, reparations updates as they actually happen, DNA guidance, and my weekly Reference Desk.
Join the community- Where
- WhatsApp — five rooms, one community
- Host
- Aisha Abdul Rahman, MLIS
- Cost
- Free
- Access
- Open. Leave any time.
Why here
Not a newsletter
The things worth telling you are time-sensitive. Email isn't where you'll see them.
When a records collection opens, when a state moves on descendancy documentation, when I'm about to answer a question that sounds like yours — you should know that day, not whenever you next clean out your inbox.
So I put it on WhatsApp. It's where most of our diaspora community already is, messages actually arrive, and you can reply to me directly instead of into a void.
There are five rooms inside. You choose which ones you want and mute the rest. I'm not going to fill your phone with noise — the only room I post to on a strict rhythm is Announcements, and that's the one you joined for.
Inside
Five rooms
Join the community and pick the ones that fit where you are.
Announcements
News you can act on. Records releases, reparations developments as they actually happen, and the Reference Desk schedule. No discussion here, so nothing gets buried.
Posts from me only
Reference Desk
Session reminders, question prompts, and the clip of every answer. If you've submitted a question, this is where you'll hear it come up.
Thursdays, 7pm PT
DNA & Ancestry Results
You got your results. Now what? Ethnicity breakdowns, matches, Ancestry vs. African Ancestry, and what those percentages actually mean. Post your results and compare notes.
Open discussion
Sierra Leone Heritage & Travel
Dispatches from the ground — the Ye-Ruqor retreat house going up in Newton, citizenship through DNA, and what returning actually involves. I'll be honest about the delays too. If a homecoming is somewhere on your horizon, this is where it starts.
Open discussion
Krio Griot Beta
Early access to the AI research platform I'm building for African American families — searching 100+ specialized databases to help cross the 1870 wall. Testers only, and it's not finished. That's the point of you being there.
Invitation only
One thing I'll say plainly, since it's why some of you are here
No one is issuing reparations payments right now. Not in California, not in Georgia, not federally. Anyone charging you to file a reparations claim is lying to you, and I'd rather you hear that from a credentialed archivist than find out the expensive way.
What is true: every lineage-based framework being built requires the same thing — documented proof of descent from an enslaved ancestor. That takes months to years to assemble, and most of us cannot currently trace past 1870.
That's the work. That's why this community exists. I post developments in Announcements as they actually happen, without the hype.
How we keep it good
A few house rules
Short list, and all of it is about protecting the people in the room.
Living people stay private
Don't post details about living relatives — names, dates, addresses, medical or legal information. For anything within roughly the last hundred years, keep it general.
No selling, no recruiting
This isn't a place to promote services, DNA affiliate links, or anything reparations-adjacent that asks for money. That includes well-meaning recommendations.
People arrive at different stages
Some members have been researching for twenty years. Some just opened a DNA result and don't know what a census is. Both belong. Nobody gets made to feel behind.
Questions go to the Reference Desk
I can't answer research questions one by one in chat — I'd never get to anyone. Submit through the form and I'll answer it properly, on the record, where everyone learns from it.
Never used WhatsApp?
It's a free messaging app — the one most of the world already uses, including nearly everyone in Sierra Leone and across the diaspora. It works over wifi, costs nothing, and takes about two minutes to set up with your phone number. If you're in the US and haven't needed it before, here's where to start.
Already have it? Just tap Join below — it'll open straight in the app.
Prefer your laptop? You can also use WhatsApp in your browser once your phone is set up.
Free. Leave whenever you want. Your number stays hidden from other members.
Bring a question
The Reference Desk is free, weekly, and open to anyone. Submit one genealogy question and I'll research it and answer it on camera.
Visit the Reference DeskStart with the book
Tracing Our Roots, Reclaiming Our Legacy is the step-by-step version — research, brick walls, DNA, heritage travel, and preservation.
Get the book