About the Program
Art of Fact – Reclaiming, Renaming, and Remaking
Seeks to engage participants in reclaiming the internal and external spaces colonized by racism, racial trauma, and whiteness through a genealogical exploration of history and identity. The desire and ability to make a place more equitable is predicated on the equitable connection a person or a people has to that place. Due to racism, Black and brown people’s relationship to place has historically and by design, been inequitable. Black people have been and are still being— through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery, Reconstruction, and gentrification— forcibly removed from land, then to land, and from and to land again and again. The resulting racialized trauma’s negative impact on most of our Black ancestors has meant that many of our great, great, great grands would not talk about their lives in “the South”. Their reluctance or outright refusal in the past to talk about their lived experiences has led to the reluctance or inability of current mothers, fathers, grands, and greats to relay any historical information in the present. In fact, this disconnection to land, history, and thus identity has impacted even the youngest participants (who are in their early 20’s) in our first year of Art of Fact (AOF). Therefore, AOF, as a program of the Institute of Public Scholarship’s Humanities in Action program, seeks to “build on local, state and national [genealogical] conversations ... as a mechanism for social justice and dismantling inequity”.
- Denise Miller & Dr. Michelle Johnson
Seeks to engage participants in reclaiming the internal and external spaces colonized by racism, racial trauma, and whiteness through a genealogical exploration of history and identity. The desire and ability to make a place more equitable is predicated on the equitable connection a person or a people has to that place. Due to racism, Black and brown people’s relationship to place has historically and by design, been inequitable. Black people have been and are still being— through the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, slavery, Reconstruction, and gentrification— forcibly removed from land, then to land, and from and to land again and again. The resulting racialized trauma’s negative impact on most of our Black ancestors has meant that many of our great, great, great grands would not talk about their lives in “the South”. Their reluctance or outright refusal in the past to talk about their lived experiences has led to the reluctance or inability of current mothers, fathers, grands, and greats to relay any historical information in the present. In fact, this disconnection to land, history, and thus identity has impacted even the youngest participants (who are in their early 20’s) in our first year of Art of Fact (AOF). Therefore, AOF, as a program of the Institute of Public Scholarship’s Humanities in Action program, seeks to “build on local, state and national [genealogical] conversations ... as a mechanism for social justice and dismantling inequity”.
- Denise Miller & Dr. Michelle Johnson
Let Us Be Your One-Stop-Shop for All Things Genealogy, Family History, and Organizational History!
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Who We Are
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Denise Miller - program director
(For Denise's focus, see the program description above.) Donna Odom - family history coordinator
My interest in family histories and genealogy began with two major influences in my life – conversations with my grandmother and my work with some of the descendants of the original African American settlers in southwest Michigan. It is and has been my belief that this research and study is how we honor our ancestors. Acknowledging their lives and telling their stories allows us, as African-Americans to not only learn our heritage and who we are, but also to achieve a balance of power that enables us to define our own lives and establish norms and values within our culture and community. Shannon Sykes-Nehring - genealogy coordinator
My whole life, historical context has been my key to understanding the present and navigating the future. Genealogical research has connected me to the experiences, the choices, and the triumphs of those that came before me. Through this work, I’ve found my Ancestors, and been able to connect their histories to my own, keeping their spirits alive to benefit our family for generations to come. Knowing my Ancestors stories makes me feel more rooted, and more rejuvenated. There is healing and cause for gratitude in celebrating their lives. I recommend genealogy research to anyone trying to make sense of their current place in time. There are answers and inspiration in your history, if you take the time to look. |
Past Tea Talks