Field Notes · African American Genealogy & Heritage

Researching the past to understand who we are becoming.

Field notes on African American genealogy, ancestral reconnection, heritage, identity, and legacy—grounded in archival research, lived experience, and the questions that emerge when we discover more of where we come from.

African American Genealogy

Researching beyond 1870, finding enslaved ancestors, interpreting DNA, breaking brick walls, and uncovering the records that tell your family's story.

Heritage & Place

Connecting research to place through heritage travel, West Africa, cultural experiences, and reflections on what it means to encounter the places connected to your ancestry.

Identity & Reconnection

Exploring what ancestry means beyond names and dates—the connections between family history, identity, belonging, memory, and ancestral reconnection.

Preservation & Legacy

Preserving photographs, documents, oral histories, and digital memories—and creating a family archive future generations can inherit.

Written by Aisha LaDon Abdul Rahman, MLIS, PhD — archivist, genealogist, and author of Tracing Our Roots, Reclaiming Our Legacy.

A tool for your research

Krio Griot

The AI genealogy research platform I'm building for African American families, searching 100+ collections to help you cross the 1870 wall. Currently in private beta.

Visit Krio Griot
Work with me

Book a Consultation

All engagements begin with a Discovery Call. We'll talk through your research goals, family history, and what's already been found — so I can recommend the right path forward.

Discovery Call

Start here

$50

60 minutes. Required before any other service. We'll map your research goals and I'll tell you exactly what's possible.

Single Consultation

$100

60 minutes. Strategy session, DNA interpretation, or brick wall analysis.

5-Call Retainer

$500

Five sessions over 12 months. Ongoing research partnership.

Research Report

$575

Proof of enslaved ancestors. Requires AncestryDNA. Covers 3–5 generations. Takes 3–6 months. For reparations and ADOS documentation.

Digitization Only

$300

~3,000 items scanned, organized, and delivered in a searchable digital archive.

Full Archive Package

$700

~3,000 items. Digitization plus a curated family history narrative — a complete archive to pass down.

Book a Discovery Call — $50 See full service details

Questions before booking? Send me a message — I respond personally within 2–3 business days.