GREENSBORO, N.C. — An African American historical society is working to help North Carolinians look into their family history. A member of the group says the roots of her family's history is American history.

“Our family history is a part of African American history, and African American history is a part of American history,” Laurann Pierce said.

Pierce is showing off the family tree she made for her father’s side of the family. She says it took her six months to complete.

“A way of me expressing to them what I've collected, not only on paper and on a computer, but to actually see their pictures,” Pierce said.

Pierce has always been a collector, but since her retirement from Guilford County Schools she has taken a deeper dive into her family’s origins, calling it therapy.

“Really means a lot because, you know, sometimes the children ask you questions, which is good. And, you can actually not only answer those questions, but go to your computer and pull up information,” Pierce said.

She says doing this type of work takes time, and she's not doing it alone. She joined a group called the Afro-American Historical and Genealogical Society, also called AAHGS. It advocates for African Americans to look into their own family history and share what they’ve found.

“What we found and discovered and our personal family history research, and we help each other. Some members have difficulties finding some information and run into roadblocks. And we offer suggestions and ideas about other resources that they can go to. The databases have a lot of information that's already there. And you just scroll down and see what you want to read,” Pierce said.

For Juneteeth the AAHGS will be partnering with the International Civil Rights Museum in Greensboro to host presentations and workshops on locating family roots.