National Genealogical Society Issues Apology for Racism

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The National Genealogical Society (NGS) has issued a formal apology and released a report acknowledging "racist and discriminatory actions and decisions the society made" throughout its history.

The move comes after several years of internal examination prompted by the murder of George Floyd in 2020. The society recognized the need to confront its past and ensure transparency, according to NGS President Kathryn Doyle.

The report revealed troubling discoveries about one of the society's founders, Joseph Gaston Baillie Bulloch, who openly expressed eugenicist beliefs in a 1912 article published in the NGS Quarterly.

The society also admitted to perpetuating racism during the 20th century, highlighted by the denial of membership to James Worris Moore, a Black employee of the National Archives, in 1960. The NGS not only rejected Moore's application but also decided to exclude all Black applicants from joining.

James Dent Walker, a renowned genealogist, eventually became the first Black member in 1972 after a 12-year gap.

Walker went on to co-found the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society in 1977 and was later inducted into the National Genealogy Hall of Fame in 1999.

LaJoy Mosby, the current president of the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, commended the NGS's apology and emphasized the importance of confronting racist histories. She encouraged organizations to accept and address their past in order to move forward.

The society also committed to ongoing research, transparency, and driving change as part of its efforts to atone for its history of exclusion.

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