Vintage African American family photographs and handwritten genealogy records

Established 2008 · Birmingham, Alabama

Tracing Our Roots. Preserving Our Stories.

The Birmingham African American Genealogy Group is a community of researchers, family historians, and storytellers committed to uncovering and honoring our shared heritage.

Our Mission

Reclaiming the histories that history tried to forget

BAAG empowers African American families across Birmingham and central Alabama to discover their ancestry through research education, archival access, and the preservation of oral and written histories. We believe every family deserves to know its story.

BAAG members reviewing family records together

Community

You don't have to research alone

For more than fifteen years, BAAG members have helped one another break through brick walls — from antebellum plantation records to Great Migration paper trails. Whether you're just starting with a family Bible or you've been researching for decades, there's a place for you here.

350+
Members
15
Years serving
1,200+
Families researched

News & Updates

Latest from BAAG

AnnouncementApril 22, 2026

Registration Opens for the 9th Annual Roots in the Magic City Symposium

Join us September 12 at the Carver Theatre for keynote speaker Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., three breakout tracks, and free archivist consultations. Early-bird member pricing through July 1.

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ProjectApril 8, 2026

Grace Hill Cemetery Restoration Reaches 600 Documented Graves

Our volunteer team has now photographed and transcribed 612 headstones at Grace Hill, with full records uploaded to our public BillionGraves project. Next workday: October 18.

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Member SpotlightMarch 30, 2026

Member Connects Bessemer Family to 1860 Tallapoosa Records

After two years in our beginner cohort, member Cheryl Mosley pieced together five generations using probate inventories and oral history — and shared her workflow at last month's meeting.

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Support Our Work

Your gift keeps research free for every family.

The Birmingham African American Genealogy Group is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 86-1099545). Donations are tax-deductible and fund scholarship memberships, cemetery preservation projects, and archival digitization — helping families across Alabama recover their stories.

"BAAG helped me trace my family back to a Tallapoosa County plantation and then forward to the Bessemer steel mills. They gave me my great- grandmother's name. I can never repay that gift."

— Cheryl M., Member since 2019