Tracing our genealogy can tell us much about our family history – where we come from, who our ancestors were, and what kind of lives they led. But the study of our pasts can also help us understand ourselves, to form identities, and to forge connections within our communities and beyond.
Join NCHGS and guests speakers as we explore how tracing our roots allows us to be active agents in writing our own histories!
This program will be held Thursday evening, June 19th, 2024, in the John R. Austen Auditorium of the Sigal Museum. Parking is available in the 4th Street Parking Garage, one half block to north of the museum.
About Our Speakers:
Grandmother Shelley DePaul, Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania
Clan Mother Shelley Windamakwi DePaul is the Director of Language for the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. She is a lifelong educator, and has dedicated decades to revitalizing the endangered Lenape language. DePaul’s Lenape language classes at Swarthmore College have been featured in the book The Last Speakers: The Quest to Save the World’s most Endangered Languages, written by linguist and anthropologist K. David Harrison and published by National Geographic. She continues to teach classes to the Lenape community and all interested learners. For more information on the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania, as well as classes and events, please visit https://www.lenape-nation.org/.
Adam Waterbear DePaul, Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania
Adam Waterbear DePaul is a Tribal Council Member, Chief of Education, and Storykeeper of the Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania. He is also the coordinator of the Rising Nation River Journey, a joint effort to raise awareness, awaken the spirit, and bestow the past, environmentally, culturally and historically, to the future. He co-curates the Lenape Cultural Center in Easton PA and the exhibit Existing Artistry, Enduring Presence: The Lenape Nation of Pennsylvania at Temple University. DePaul is a PhD candidate and instructor at Temple with a primary research area in Cultural and Mythological Studies, and the co-founder and president of NAISAT (Native American and Indigenous Studies at Temple).
Representative Christopher Rabb, Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Rep. Christopher M. Rabb is a father, educator, author, and social justice activist serving Philadelphia’s 200th District in the PA House of Representatives. He is a thought leader at the intersection of politics, media entrepreneurship, and social identity. He has appeared as a guest on several local and national media outlets, including: The New York Times, The Huffington Post, MSNBC, NPR, and the Associated Press, and is an avid family historian and genealogist.
A volunteer with the Jane S. Moyer Library & Archives of the Northampton County Historical & Genealogical Society will speak briefly about our collection, which consists of over 5,000 books, 10,000 manuscripts, 6,000 surname files, and 120,000 photographs to help you begin your genealogical search!