Earlier this year, I had the honor of revealing the maternal ancestry of Dr. Marilyn Gaston to her family, friends, and colleagues.

Dr. Gaston is a historymaker with a fascinating story. Beginning with her medical school experience as the only African American woman in her class at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, her career has been committed to improving the health of poor and underserved Americans. She has been an Assistant Surgeon General and as the director of  the Bureau of Primary Health Care in the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, was the first woman to direct a public health service bureau.

Dr. Gaston shares ancestry with the Mende women in Sierra Leone. Mende woman participate in the Sande society which is responsible for initiating girls into womanhood. If Dr. Gaston were living in Sierra Leone today, she would definitely be recognized as a Sowei.

In her book, Radiance From the Waters: Ideals of Feminine Beauty in Mende Art, art historian Sylvia Ardyn Boone describes the Sowei as the teacher, healer, and judge of the women. She is an arbiter and creator of feminine beauty in Mende society.

Today, Dr. Gaston and her partner Dr. Porter are the creators of Prime Time Sister Circles. Their approach encourages midlife Black women to take charge of their lives.

I’m excited about our newest partnership with the brothers of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the oldest African American fraternity in the United States!

Today marks their 103rd Founders Day celebration as well as the launch of the Brother Simon Alexander Haley Initiative. Through this initiative, African Ancestry will help Alphas across the country research their family histories and trace their ancestral pasts.

Over 30 years ago, it was Alex Haley, the son of an Alpha man, who opened our collective eyes to the rich and valuable histories of our families. We sat glued to the TV set night after night with a sense of pride in our African roots. Haley had a rare gift, the gift of family stories that had been passed down, intact, through the many generations. Sharing his gift with the world sparked an unprecedented interest in genealogy among African Americans.

Most of us quickly learned that we were not going to find our Kunta Kinte. However, Haley’s legacy lives today through genetic ancestry tracing. Technology enables us to make transformative connections with our African roots. We are honored that Alpha President Skip Mason chose to partner with African Ancestry to move his organization forward while keeping them grounded in their powerful pasts.

On Thursday, September 17th, African Ancestry was invited to a graduation ceremony in mid-town Manhattan. But not the kind you might expect.

This was the culmination of a project called Journey For Change: Empowering Youth Through Global Service fostered by The Angelrock Project and its Founder and Director, Malaak Compton-Rock. Aimed at providing a life-changing experience for at-risk youth, Journey For Change targeted 30 youths from Bushwick (an area of Brooklyn) between the ages of 12 – 15 with the hopes of empowering them to live a life of purpose and service.

Last summer, all 30 youth traveled 8,000 miles to South Africa to volunteer in shantytowns and help disadvantaged children, while learning to appreciate the advantages they had here in the US.

We were touched and moved by these kids and their journey when we first saw it on CNN’s Black in America 2, so you can imagine our excitement when Malaak Compton-Rock reached out to us several weeks ago. As many of you know, we tested her husband, comedian, Chris Rock on PBS’ African American Lives I, and she wanted to give that same gift to these kids at their graduation ceremony.

It was quite a magical experience. Of the 30 students, 24 have African ancestry, 5 have Native American ancestry, and one has European ancestry. Watch CNN’s recap of the evening and interview with one of the teens, Donovan.

Below are also some pictures from the evening:

Malaak Compton-Rock

The boys of Journey for Change

The girls of Journey for Change

At African Ancestry, we believe that every young person should know their roots. Any field that they can dream of pursuing was created in Africa: dance, medicine, music, law, math, science…the list goes on. I encourage you to engage a young person in your life in an exploration of the African origins of one of their favorite things or subjects.

Thank you Malaak for allowing us to be part of this journey for change. Visit The Angelrock Project at www.angelrockproject.com.

I remember as a young person frequent family reunion gatherings with games, trivia, good food, and lots of excitement. New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are cities that come to mind when I think about the memories.

Family reunions have come a long way! One of our African Ancestry Family Members, Melvin Collier, recently helped to organize the reunion of the Beckley and Reed families. They learned of their common ancestral tie to a slave couple, Lewis and Fanny Barr in Abbeville, SC. The couple had been separated and taken to different parts of Mississippi, given new surnames, and never saw each other again. In August, over 250 family members paid homage to their history by coming together for the first time in 150 years. The event included a bus pilgrimage to the family cemetery, a gala dinner, and the reveal of their African roots.

I am excited about attending an even BIGGER family reunion event this weekend…the Tom Joyner Family Reunion in Orlando!

This is our second year partnering with Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores and Tom Joyner during this major Family Reunion event. Last year, we revealed Sybil’s ancestry as well as the ancestries of the contest winners. Listen to the 2008 Reveal. This year we’re back to share the African Ancestry Experience with Tom and his family of listeners. We will have a booth in the Expo hall if you’re in the area, stop by and say hello!

We’re in Atlanta for the third year to celebrate with our partner, the National Black Arts Festival. This year’s event is bittersweet for the African Ancestry fam as it marks the last festival for former executive director, Stephanie Hughley. Stephanie is a huge fan of and very important friend to African Ancestry. She helped put us on the map in Atlanta in 2007! We are going to miss her beauty, candor, and energy.

This year’s festival is being held at the Woodruff Arts Center and is full of unique performances, inspiring conversations, fabulous Black art, African films, and so much more. Check out the schedule of events. We’ll be having a special discount on tracing your DNA and finding your roots too so make sure you stop by our booth. And, tell a friend too!

We participate in a lot of festivals and conferences each year. They are usually a lot of fun as we get to see the faces of the roots we trace and meet new people too. Last weekend was our first time participating in The African American Heritage Festival in Baltimore this weekend.

What a pleasant surprise! We shared the Arts, Education, and History Village with a wide range of organizations from Gene-All-of-Us to the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum to the Hip Hop Institute Baltimore to Johns Hopkins University’s Center for Africana Studies. We enjoyed meeting and talking with folks from DC, Baltimore, Philly, NY, and even Seattle as well as other African American entrepreneurs. Shout out to Salaam Wiliams and Darren Brown, who recently opened a vegan and vegetarian bakery called Sweet Tooth Dessert Shop in Baltimore!

But as a music lover, I have to tell you that the best part of the weekend was the entertainment. On Friday night, Teena Marie celebrated 30 years of making music. Has it been 30 years? Portuguese Love. I’m a Sucker for Your Love. Square Biz. I Need Your Lovin. Behind the Groove…the list goes on. 30 Years!

On Saturday night, En Vogue represented for sisters in their 40’s. They don’t have 30 years worth of music but they brought it for the hits that they do have. Hold On. Whatta Man. My Lovin’. They jammed.

Then on Sunday…Miss Anita Baker turned it out! Did you know that she has eight Grammys? She and her band were spectacular.

Thanks to Visionary Marketing Group for inviting us to participate in the Festival. Anytime you can educate during the day and get your groove on at night, it’s a good day!