Coming Home: A Njila Louisiana Research Weekend — October 2026

Coming
Home.

Five days of facilitated descendant research in the Louisiana corridor where Njila was born. Memory is survival. Bring the family question you cannot answer. Leave with the roadmap to answer it — and the community to keep doing the work.

Dates October 9–13, 2026
Anchored In Baton Rouge & the River Parishes
Capacity 20 Researchers
Starts At Free
See Your Options See the Five Days
Free & open to the public
The Saturday session belongs to everyone.

The Saturday morning Community Working Session at the West Baton Rouge Museum (10:30 AM – 1:30 PM CT, October 10) is free and open to the public, hosted in partnership with the West Baton Rouge Genealogical Society. Free registration on Eventbrite is required to reserve your seat — capacity is limited to 40.

Register Free
What this is

A facilitated descent into the Louisiana corridor.

This is not plantation tourism. This is not a history class. This is a working research weekend — facilitated, intimate, intentional — for people who are actively recovering the names of their families and who want to do that work in the place where the work began.

You arrive with a family question you cannot answer on your own. You leave with a documented research roadmap, grounded in the records and repositories most likely to break through the block. You also leave knowing the small community of descendants doing this work alongside you.

Coming Home is anchored by The Remember, Reclaim, Rebuild Research Protocol — Njila's signature facilitated method, debuting publicly the same weekend at the West Baton Rouge Museum's free Community Working Session. Weekend participants extend the anchor into four additional days of substantive, archive-grounded research, descendant-led programming in the River Parishes, and a private capstone day at Whitney Plantation.

"Memory is survival. For Black American families, that truth is not metaphor. It is the research assignment." Brandi Richard Thompson — Njila
Two ways to come

There are two paths through this weekend.

Whether you want the free public anchor on Saturday morning or the full five-day descent, there is a way for you to be in the room.

Path One
The Free Saturday
$0 — Free & open to the public

The Community Working Session at the West Baton Rouge Museum. Three hours of facilitated research using the Njila Protocol. Open to anyone — first-time researchers through experienced genealogists. Every participant leaves with a written personalized research roadmap.

Saturday, October 10 · 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM CT · West Baton Rouge Museum, Port Allen · Free registration required · Limited to 40 seats

Reserve Your Free Seat
The arc

Five days. One descent.

Each day builds on the one before. The Saturday session is the public anchor — everything else extends from it.

  1. Day One
    Friday
    October 9
    Opening at the Watermark

    Welcome reception and Ancestral Table Dinner with Brandi at the historic Watermark Baton Rouge — the restored 1925 Louisiana Trust & Savings Bank building in downtown Baton Rouge. Curated introductions, a grounding ritual, a seated meal with storytelling. Brandi opens with her own Louisiana family history — the Scotlandville maternal line, the Creole, Afro-Louisianan, and Acadian ancestral lines — as the frame for the days to come.

    Full Pilgrimage only
  2. Day Two
    Saturday
    October 10
    The Public Anchor & West Baton Rouge

    Morning: the free West Baton Rouge Museum Community Working Session, 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM CT. Three hours of facilitated research using the Njila Protocol, alongside community researchers and West Baton Rouge Genealogical Society members. Afternoon: a guided heritage tour of West Baton Rouge Parish led by Brandi — sites she has documented across her own family research, the geography that produced the Louisiana corridor's Black American legacy. Food on your own throughout the day.

    Morning: Free & open to all Afternoon tour: All paid tiers
  3. Day Three
    Sunday
    October 11
    Brunch & Heritage

    A curated brunch and museum day, with the specific itinerary shaped by the cohort's research lines and interests. The day may anchor in Baton Rouge with brunch and museum visits, or move to Lafayette, St. Martin Parish, or another Louisiana corridor when the group’s lineage points that direction. The 2026 itinerary will be confirmed in the Pre-Weekend Briefing sent to registered participants 30 days before the event.

    All paid tiers
  4. Day Four
    Monday
    October 12
    The Deep Archive Day

    The full archives day. Sacramental records, civil records, microfilm holdings, manuscript collections — at Louisiana's most significant pre-1900 institutional repositories. Sustained, self-directed deep research with Brandi circulating to support each participant's specific lines. Hosted lunch at a Black-owned Baton Rouge restaurant. This is the day Full Pilgrimage participants break through what no individual research session at home can break through.

    Full Pilgrimage only
  5. Day Five
    Tuesday
    October 13
    The Capstone at Whitney Plantation

    A private group day at Whitney Plantation in Wallace — the only plantation museum in Louisiana dedicated exclusively to the lives of the enslaved — closed to the public on Tuesdays, opened to our group through partnership with Executive Director Dr. Ashley Rogers. Includes Dr. Rogers's research presentation, time at the Wall of Honor and the Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall memorial, a Njila working session in the historic Antioch Baptist Church on the grounds, and a closing ritual. Hosted boxed lunch brought in from a Black-owned River Parishes caterer — every participant present is fed. Additional descendant-led River Parishes programming where logistics align.

    Full Pilgrimage · Whitney Capstone
Tiers & what each one gives you

Five paths. Pick what fits.

The free Saturday session is on its own — register for free above. Below are the five paid tiers, with what each one is actually for. Each paid tier includes the Saturday session and afternoon tour.

Rememberer

The Full Pilgrimage

$1,250
6 seats · All five days
What you get

The full descent. Five days of immersion in the Louisiana corridor — from Friday's opening Ancestral Table to Tuesday's private capstone at Whitney Plantation. The deep archive day on Monday belongs exclusively to this tier. The most substantive experience Njila offers in 2026, with a 1:1 post-event consultation to carry your breakthroughs forward.

For: Researchers who have been stuck on a family line for years and are ready to invest in finally moving it forward. Those who want Njila as an ongoing research home, not a one-time workshop. The inner circle of Rememberers.
Includes
  • Friday reception & dinner
  • Sunday brunch & museum day
  • Monday deep archive day
  • Monday hosted lunch
  • Tuesday Whitney capstone
  • Tuesday hosted lunch
  • 60-min 1:1 with Brandi
Register
Archivist

The Whitney Capstone

$895
4 seats · Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday
What you get

Whitney is the moment of this weekend. This tier centers it — private access, Dr. Ashley Rogers's research presentation, the Allées Gwendolyn Midlo Hall memorial, and a working session in the historic Antioch Baptist Church — paired with Saturday's anchor session and tour, plus Sunday's brunch and museum day.

For: Researchers whose work is specifically about enslaved ancestors in Louisiana, who want the Whitney capstone day, but can't take Friday or Monday off. The most meaningful single day of the weekend, with the social and cultural foundation around it.
Includes
  • Sunday brunch & museum day
  • Tuesday Whitney capstone
  • Tuesday hosted lunch
Register
Storykeeper

The Weekend

$495
4 seats · Friday, Saturday, Sunday
What you get

The curated long weekend without the mid-week extension. Friday's opening Ancestral Table at the Watermark, Saturday's full programming (session + tour), and Sunday's brunch and museum day. The full community experience of Njila, condensed into three days.

For: Researchers who want the community and facilitation of the weekend but whose research isn't tied to Whitney specifically, or who can't commit to the longer arc. Those who can take a long weekend but not a full work week.
Includes
  • Friday reception & dinner
  • Sunday brunch & museum day
Register
Witness

The Lite

$295
4 seats · Saturday & Sunday
What you get

Affordable access to the substantive programming. The Saturday morning session, the Saturday afternoon heritage tour, and Sunday's brunch and museum day. Everything that anchors the weekend, none of the extension days.

For: Researchers on a tighter budget, or those testing the Njila experience before committing more deeply in 2027. The most accessible national entry to the weekend. Travel from anywhere; pay less.
Includes
  • Sunday brunch & museum day
Register
Homecoming

Louisiana Community

$195
6 seats · Louisiana residents only
What you get

Local access at a price designed for local reality. Extend the free Saturday morning session into Saturday afternoon's West Baton Rouge heritage tour and Sunday's brunch and museum day — the substantive programming, made accessible. No travel, no hotel, no flight.

For: Louisiana residents who already attend the free Saturday morning session and want to keep going into the afternoon tour and Sunday. The access mission made literal. Honor system on residency.
Includes
  • Saturday afternoon tour
  • Sunday museum day (entry fees included)
Register
Scholarship

Three Lite scholarship seats are reserved for Louisiana descendants of enslaved people.

Fully gift-supported by Njila for those who could not otherwise attend. Apply at legacy@njila.org by August 15, 2026.

What's included

  • Brandi’s personal facilitation across every programmed day of your tier
  • Printed Njila Participant Workbook + Louisiana Research Quick Reference
  • Archive access and partner institution coordination
  • All hosted meals listed in your tier
  • Saturday afternoon heritage tour transportation logistics
  • Carpool matching coordination (if you opt in)
  • Pre-Weekend Briefing and family research prep guide
  • Connection to the Njila Rememberers community

Not included

  • Airfare
  • Lodging (recommendations provided)
  • Ground transportation to and between venues
  • All breakfasts
  • Saturday lunch and dinner
  • Meals not specifically named as hosted in your tier
  • Personal incidentals
Where to stay

Three tiers of lodging. Self-book.

Njila does not manage a room block — choose what fits your budget. All recommended hotels are in Baton Rouge. Tuesday programming is approximately one hour east in Wallace; most participants base in Baton Rouge for the entire weekend.

Premium
The Watermark Baton Rouge
$175 – $230 / night

Autograph Collection. Historic 1925 restored bank building. Walking distance to Friday reception. The anchor venue.

Mid-Range
Hotel Indigo or Hilton Capitol Center
$130 – $170 / night

Both within walking distance of the Watermark. Comfortable, well-located. Hotel Indigo is the boutique option; Hilton has larger room availability.

Budget
Holiday Inn Express / Hampton Inn / La Quinta
$90 – $130 / night

Several options within a 10–15 minute drive of downtown. Less walkable, workable with a rental car.

Your facilitator

Brandi Richard Thompson

Descendant researcher, author of Operation Growth, and founder of Njila: The Ancestral Pathway.

Brandi's practice spans more than 5,200 documented ancestors across three family trees rooted in her South Louisiana lineage — the Creole, Afro-Louisianan, and Acadian ancestral lines that run through the corridor we will be researching together.

Under the byline B. Kelly, she writes and teaches at the intersection of genealogy, heritage, and healing. Her facilitation draws on years of professional coaching and group leadership experience, which is why Njila sessions can hold grief and research in the same hour without losing either.

Learn more about Njila at njila.org →

Built in partnership

The institutions walking this with us.

Coming Home is anchored by partnerships with the Louisiana cultural and scholarly institutions whose work makes this descent possible.

Confirmed Anchor
West Baton Rouge Museum
Port Allen, Louisiana
Confirmed Partner
Whitney Plantation
Wallace, Louisiana

Additional Louisiana research and cultural partners will be announced as 2026 partnerships are finalized.

A note before you register

This work touches grief.

Slavery records. Records of family separation. Missing names. A sibling no one talked about. Coming Home is built to hold what surfaces.

If you need a break, take one. If a name makes you cry, let it.

The ancestors are not asking us to rush. They are asking us to remember.

Your facilitator is trained to recognize when ancestral trauma surfaces and to hold space without redirecting. The research continues. The grief is witnessed. Nobody is rushed past what rises.

Frequently asked

A few practical questions.

Is the Saturday morning session free?
Yes. The Saturday morning Community Working Session at the West Baton Rouge Museum (10:30 AM – 1:30 PM CT, October 10) is free and open to the public, hosted in partnership with the West Baton Rouge Genealogical Society. Free registration on Eventbrite is required to reserve your seat — capacity is limited to 40. The Coming Home Research Weekend tiers are paid programming that extends Saturday morning into the rest of the weekend.
Do I need genealogy experience to attend?
No. Coming Home welcomes mixed experience levels, from first-time researchers to society members who have been working their lines for decades. The Saturday session is built for that mix. Subsequent days deepen and customize based on what you bring.
I'm not from Louisiana. Will the research still help me?
If your family came through Louisiana at any point — and millions of Black American families did — yes. The Louisiana corridor is one of the densest record collections for Black family research in the United States. Even if your family ultimately settled elsewhere, the records that reveal pre-1870 lives often live in Louisiana parishes.
Where exactly is Sunday's programming?
The Sunday itinerary is intentionally shaped by the cohort. Most years it anchors in Baton Rouge for brunch and museum visits. In years where the registered group's lineage points toward Lafayette, St. Martin Parish, or another Louisiana corridor, the day moves there instead. Registered participants receive the final 2026 itinerary in the Pre-Weekend Briefing sent 30 days before the event.
How do I get between venues?
Drive or carpool. The weekend involves driving between downtown Baton Rouge, Port Allen, and Wallace (~1 hour from BR). Rental cars are recommended for out-of-state participants. Njila will coordinate carpool matching among participants three to four weeks before the event for those who opt in at registration.
What's the refund policy?
Full refund through September 9, 2026. 50% refund September 10–25. No refunds after September 25 — registrations are transferable.
Payment plans are available for Full Pilgrimage and Whitney Capstone. Email legacy@njila.org before registering to set one up.
What does "grief-integrated facilitation" mean?
Research facilitation that holds space when ancestral trauma surfaces — without redirecting, rushing, or pivoting past it. Not therapy. Not coaching. Research that knows what it is doing with the emotional reality of the records.

Come home with us.

The first annual. October 9–13, 2026.
Free Saturday morning. Five tiers of deeper.

Register on Eventbrite