Archiving Black and Hispanic History: AI and Genealogical Preservation
Minister & STEAM Teacher William Jackson
Podcast
https://youtu.be/v4KUhrWmNIw
Writing about the urgent need to preserve the legacy
of Black and Hispanic communities and families, the
iconic people of those communities. The “Big Mamas
and the Dona’s,” the Don’s and the Big Daddies” that
laid down the law and managed the family direction and
histories.
Archiving Black and Hispanic History:
AI and Genealogical Preservation,” Jackson passionately
argues for the critical importance of archiving and
keeping Black and Hispanic families by documenting
and preserving their genealogical histories.
WordCamp Europe 2024
The current political climate is determined to deny,
erase, censor, hide and destroy the legacy and achievements
of Black and Hispanic people. The pushback from communities
is limited because of the lack of political and economic
power along with fear. Those that are Asian and other
cultures are next, they just don’t know it yet. They are
quietly hiding, silently afraid they will be next on the
cultural and informational genocidal “hit list” and
it is coming.
We are a people that learn nothing from history until it
literally slaps us in the face. Russia, Germany, our own
government with Hawaii, Mexico, and other nations that
were taken away and the real histories erased.
Jackson highlights that only less than one percent of
archival materials in the U.S. repositories represent
African Americans and Hispanics, creating a profound
cultural and personal loss as oral histories and memories
fade. Emphasizing that modern technologies like
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR) offer
powerful tools for preservation, including voice recordings,
image restoration and organizing vast amounts of information.
Dr. Kai Fu Lee has made the powerful statement that “data is
the new oil,” because companies will pay millions if not
billions for access to human data to put on servers so AI
can access this content. The amount of data that Black and
Hispanic people create is worth billions if not trillions
in the coming years. In the article “The impact of generative
AI on Black Communities,” the median Black family has amassed
about $44,900 in wealth; the median White household holds
$285,000 in total assets. AI has the potential to raise Black and
Hispanics only if they apply and strategically use AI tools. Education
is key and has multiple benefits, but to many Blacks and Hispanics
still do not understand nor how to apply AI tools and platforms.
The proactive archiving is presented as a necessary act of
resistance against historical erasure and a way to ensure that
Black legacies and wisdom persist across generations. Ultimately,
Black and Hispanic families and communities need to take
ownership of their narratives to counteract systemic exclusion
and shape future understanding that their content and their
stories matter.
Now is the time for Black and Hispanics to record, document,
store, archive and collect their culture, heritage and family
legacy before it is forgotten and potentially erased. The
knowledge, wisdom and past historical tones of the past for
any culture must never be forgotten. Each generation needs to
know where they came from, who they came from and align with
their direction forward. The “Big Mamas and the Dona’s,” the
Don’s and the Big Daddies” still have so much to offer from
family recipes, to historical contributions. The survival of
wars, diseases and things that future generations need to know.
As a Minister, teacher of 3 decades, earning Teacher of the
Year honors, speaker at local, national and international
conferences. Honored with my wife who is Afro-Latina from PR.
We are members of the World Metaverse Council – Metaverse
Education Program Directors. The honor of being the first Black
and a Co-founder of L&D Nexus of the United Arab Emirates
(UAE) https://ldnexus.com/became-members
and United Kingdom (UK) and contributor and speaker
for L&D Africa 2025 Conference
William Jackson Presentation for L&D Africa 2025
and in India the SDN Foundation Mentors | SDN Foundation
others internationally.
I and my wife Aida want our children and grandchildren to know
that we contributed to this world and inspire them and other youth,
teens and young adults to be the best that they can be. To
embrace their background, their heritage and know who
their people are and where they came from. We are a
blended family of African American and Afro-Latino and
our DNA backgrounds show our heritage, love for our people
and as a family of faith, family and community.
This is important and these matter.
