Honor the Past + Celebrate the Present + Create a Legacy
October is not only the best month of the year (at least in my opinion), it is even more special because it is Family History Month!
Continue reading “Family History Month 2018 Activities & AncestryDNA Kit Giveaway”
In case you missed the big RootsTech news this week, here’s the scoop! In October 2019, RootsTech will be hosting a second conference location in London!
I had the privilege of attending two of several events held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School. The courageous story of the “Little Rock Nine” as they are known, is one I learned early in my youth as a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas. The high school I attended was opened the same year as the Central crisis, one where the affluent white citizens of Little Rock could send their children in attempt to avoid inevitable progress. By the time I attended in the early 1990’s, all public schools had long been integrated, the legacy of those nine brave students paving the way for my generation and ones to come. This is part two of a two part post. See the first post here.
Continue reading “History, Art and the Hope of Reconciliation: Part Two”
I had the privilege of attending two of several events last week, held to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School. The courageous story of the “Little Rock Nine” as they are known, is one I learned early in my youth as a resident of Little Rock, Arkansas. The high school I attended was opened the same year as the Central crisis, one where the affluent white citizens of Little Rock could send their children in attempt to avoid inevitable progress. By the time I attended in the early 1990’s, all public schools had long been integrated, the legacy of those nine brave students paving the way for my generation and ones to come. This is part one of a two part post.
Continue reading “History, Art and the Hope of Reconciliation: Part One”
I recently had the privilege of being interviewed for the Extreme Genes podcast to discuss one of my previous posts, Southern Heritage- It’s Complicated, where I deliberate the complexities of having slave owning ancestors. The episode aired this week, but both the post and interview occurred before the horrible events in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Yesterday, I had the privilege of marching with an estimated 12,000 women and men at the Oklahoma State Capitol in Oklahoma City. As a volunteer working the event, I spoke to over 100 men and women who came to show solidarity for not only women’s rights, but the overarching goal of social justice and civil rights. I spoke with Native American women, Hispanic, Asian, Caucasian, African Americans. I spoke with those from the disability, LGBT, Muslim American communities and Christians, all who felt called to speak out for those marginalized in our society. I spoke with grandmothers, mothers and daughters. And, I spoke with many husbands and fathers who were there to support the women in their lives.
Within a span of four days, New York and our nation mark two major historic events. Events that forever altered the history and culture of the city. The event that most individuals recall with reverence today is September 11th. The tragic day where two planes flew into the World Trade Towers causing their collapse and the deaths of thousands of people.
This week marked the centennial celebration of the National Park Service (NPS). My family has a deep and abiding relationship with our National Parks, whom documentary filmmaker Ken Burns has called “America’s Best Idea.”
Continue reading “Happy 100th Birthday, National Park Service!”
It’s been a busy week! I have been working on research for future posts for Life in the Past Lane, as well as writing a submission for Oklahoma Women Bloggers! Check out Genealogy 101: The Crash Course when you have some time and want to learn more about getting started in researching your family history. Continue reading “Fun Friday”
I had a productive and surprising weekend in Arkansas! First, I attended the Butler Center for Arkansas Studies 2015 Genealogy Conference. For those who live in Arkansas and are doing family research, this is another great resource in addition to the Arkansas History Commission. Located in the Little Rock River Market, its convenient location in an historic and vibrant area of downtown is a must see if you are in the area. Continue reading “Searching for Mary Jane Update & Other Weekend Discoveries”
