Conferences & Events
Inter-generational Genealogy Training Conference
The 2012 Grandparent’s Passing it Forward Conference was the Foundation’s 2nd Annual Inter-generational Genealogy Training Conference. This genealogy training was held on Friday evening, June 2, and Saturday, June 30, 2012, at the Sojourner-Douglass College Annapolis/Southern Maryland Campus, located in Edgewater, Maryland.
Attendees at the first conference included nearly 50 grandparents and their grandchildren. These participants raved about the training, the exhibits, and the materials. Overall, the conference provided positive inter-generational experiences, promoted family pride, and created opportunities to share family heritage.
The theme for the 2nd annual event was “Mapping your Family Medical Tree.” It introduced attendees to topics on DNA testing in genealogy research; uncovered family medical histories to shape medical futures, and explored genealogy software, among other genealogy topics.
The genealogy training kicked off on Friday evening, June 29 with vendor exhibits and a dinner featuring keynote speaker, Megan Smolenyak Smolenyak (yes, that’s her real name).
Megan is a renowned genealogical adventurer and has appeared on numerous TV shows. In addition to consulting on shows ranging from Who Do You Think You Are? To Top Chef, she is the author of six books, including:
Her most recent book is Who Do You Think You Are?: The Essential Guide to Tracing Your Family History, a companion guide to the NBC series, and her next, Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing.
On Saturday, June 30, there were a host of workshops geared at fostering the collaborative effort of grandparents and grandchildren in discovering their historic past.
“The Foundation was pleased and proud to sponsor this event,” said Greg Stiverson, President of the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation. “It is important to know your history, and it is especially fitting to see grandparents and their grandchildren experience the joy of unlocking and sharing that history together. We encourage you to join the Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Foundation in celebrating the legacy of the family within your own family.
