Adrienne Fikes Named Recipient of 2026 Kenyatta D. Berry African American Research Scholarship
1 June 2026APG is pleased to announce that Adrienne Fikes, M.Ed., of Alexandria, VA, USA, has been selected as the winner of the organization’s 2026 Kenyatta D. Berry African American Research Scholarship.
The scholarship, which recognizes an aspiring professional with a significant interest in developing a career in African American genealogy, is named for former APG President Kenyatta D. Berry, in recognition of her extensive contributions to the field of genealogy, especially African American genealogy and enslaved ancestral research.A seventh-generation Virginian with deep roots in North Carolina, Adrienne (at left) is the creator of the 16Greats.com Project, a TEDx speaker, and an advocate for mental health considerations in genealogy and descendant communities. Her Joy, Genealogy & Justice Framework is included in the American Association of State and Local History’s Interpreting African American History and Culture Resource Kit.
Adrienne has presented at RootsTech, William & Mary Lemon Project Symposium, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. She was selected as a BCG Paul Edward Sluby Sr. Scholar, and inducted to the Sons and Daughters of the United States Middle Passage.
A descendant liaison with the Friends of Virginia’s Central State Hospital, Adrienne is a facilitator for The Association of Black Psychologists Sawubona Healing Circles, the Vice President of Membership and Chapters for the Afro American Historical and Genealogical Society (AAHGS), and a member of the James Dent Walker DC and North Carolina Triangle Area Chapters of AAHGS.
The scholarship includes complimentary registration to APG’s Virtual Professional Management Conference, to be held 14–17 October 2026.