Professional Genealogy Course Helps Researcher Unlock African American History

John Mills has been on a mission—he wants to help Black Americans like himself learn more about where they come from, even when the past is shrouded by injustice.

It began two decades back, when Mills felt called to investigate the history of his own last name, which he learned his great-great-grandfather had taken from his enslaver before being freed on Juneteenth, June 19, 1865. The discovery complicated John’s feelings about his surname, and inspired in him a desire to help others connect with their own family histories.

This fall, Mills came to Boston University’s Center for Professional Education (CPE) to earn a certificate by taking the Genealogical Research course, which helped him further develop his investigative prowess.

“It was incredibly helpful for me. Prior to the course, I lacked structure in how I approached, organized, and documented my research. This created inefficiencies, causing me to have to revisit sources months later, or inadvertently revisit sources that I had already assessed,” he says.

Since delving into his own family history, Mills has expanded his practice, helping to unearth stories about little-known enslaved people as well as Black Civil War veterans and relating that information to their families. “Once I find depths of information, I want to give it to the people I think it was stolen from,” he told the Washington Post.

BU CPE’s Genealogical Studies Program introduces students to current technologies and research methods that reflect the exacting standards and investigative best practices used by professionals. Taught by some of the premier genealogists in the country, the courses help students identify and evaluate evidence, design research strategies, and write quality reports that relate the information.

For Mills, that ability to make histories like the ones he uncovers legible is paramount. “I think it’s incredibly important to really tell these stories clearly,” he says.

His BU experience, he adds, taught him lessons he was able to incorporate into his work right away.

“During the course, I was almost immediately able to start applying the standards and best practices I was learning. The course was immensely valuable,” Mills says. “Something I would recommend to anyone.”