Ja'el “YaYa” Gordon

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Displays Important New Acquisition, Portrait of Leana and the Lambeth Children
The historical family portrait painting includes the children’s nanny. Recent research by historian and genealogist Ja’el Gordon has identified the Black figure as an enslaved woman named Leana, who was purchased to be a nanny after the children’s mother died in childbirth. The discovery of Leana’s identity adds to the relevance of this painting.

Locate and identify the enslaved people of Lawrence Lewis of Fairfax, Virginia, and their descendants

Bringing enslaved ancestors and descendants into conversation of Creole identity.

2024 Creole Family Reunion!

𝙈𝙞𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨: 𝙏𝙤 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙗𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙡𝙩𝙖 is sure to enlighten! We have a great lineup of speakers and a weekend full of family fun!

Join Historian and Genealogist Professor Ja’el Gordon for an in depth conversation about finding your roots and the importance of genealogy.

About this lecture:

Ancestors Speak: Uncovering and Documenting African American Ancestors Through the Lens of Historic Preservation

Join us as we learn to research and preserve echoes of the past, where every ancestor's name and artifact that connects us to them holds prof...

Historian, writer, genealogist and a Louisiana native Ja'el Ya Ya Gordon is a captivating speaker and we are beyond excited to give our patrons the opportunity to learn more about uncovering their past.

This program will cover researching plantation histories including that of the owners, allied families, enslaved, and descendants. This program is open to all persons interested including descendants of both owners and enslaved who wish to find more information on their ancestors. After the program, Stacie Davis, Library Director, will cover research tools available at the West Feliciana Pa

Join historian and genealogist Ja’el Gordon as she explores individuals within the Creole community, acknowledged through birthright, heritage, and culture but often overlooked in research and not widely recognized as integral members of the Creole familyhood. Many of them may have lost their cultural identifiers over time, facing various factors, including erasure.

“Like All Servants of That Illustrious Family…”: Conflicts of Uncovering and Rediscovering Those Deemed “Notable Slaves”
This event marks the launch of the HGGHH database of enslaved individuals, a free, online resource with information about the enslaved people at the Hermann-Grima House in New Orleans.
While many African Americans in the South have ties to Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia due to slavery, forgotten yet recovered, histories can lead to astonishing finds. Join us as we discuss the enslavement, freedom, and descendants of enslaved people willed and sold to LA.

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May 28
2023
Joseph McGill from the Slave Dwellings Project and Ja’el “YaYa” Gordon joined us at 4 pm EST this Sunday. We talked about the importance of documenting, preserving, and honoring the places where enslaved people lived.

We also talked about the work the Slave Dwellings Project does. We also covered why Black history projects are important as well as the current "anti-woke" environment Black historical, preservation and educational organizations & projects currently face.

To begin this activity, watch your “orientation video” from Historian Ja’el Gordon, an expert on plantation history in southern Louisiana.

Abstract
The GU272 descendant community has preserved an immensely rich corpus of family stories and shared historical memories. These stories record not just the lives of early GU272 descendants, but accounts of enslaved GU272 Ancestors and the 1838 slave sale as well. From 2016 to2018, the Georgetown Memory Project recorded forty (40) museum-quality oral histories with verified GU272 Descendants. These 40 audio interviews (each lasting approximately 1.25 hours) provide broad coverage of the...

Being an African American woman researching and working on plantations, Ja'el often gets the question: why work at a place with such an horrific history? There are no slave costumes or reenactments for her; this is real life. Whether she is being interrogated to see if she is teaching the watered down version or being met with the unspoken hope that she actually will water it down; every single encounter is unique. Nothing will ever stop Ja'el from researching and providing the life stories o...