For Katie Hater, a junior at Central Michigan University, learning about African American migration to Michigan started with a piece of family history. Hater said she found out that her first documented ancestor was enslaved at a rice plantation in South Carolina in the 18th century in a discovery that pushed her to keep going.

And on Feb. 13, Hater and Rozalyn Kelly, a retired attorney with over 30 years in genetical research,  hosted an event about African American migration in Michigan to encourage CMU students to discover their own ancestry.