Immigrant Wall of Honor
Due to overwhelming interest, The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. is reopening registration for The American Immigrant Wall of Honor®. The memorial, a tribute to the “Peopling of America®,” currently contains the names of over 500,000 individuals and families honored by their descendants. Proceeds from this new section of The Wall will help fund creation of The American Family Immigration History Center where families will be able to document ancestor’s immigration through Ellis Island. New submissions will be added to the wall by the end of 1998. In addition to restoration of the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island and their museums, other additions include an expanded Oral History Studio, Children’s Visitor Center and the Immigrant’s Living Theatre. Contact The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc, PO Box ELLIS, New York NY 10163; 212-883-1986.
Cherokee heritage
The Southeastern Cherokee Confederacy offers membership to persons who have as much as 1/16 blood degree and don’t belong to another tribe. This is not limited to Cherokee but includes persons of any Indian heritage. For information, write the Confederacy, National Tribal Office, Rt. 4, Box 120, Albany GA 31705.
More Cherokee heritage
In 1998 the First Family of the Cherokee Nation began recognizing descendants of Cherokee Nation inhabitants occupying the area before the Trail of Tears. There are two ways to become a member. The first is to have a tribal membership card, fill out required paperwork showing ancestry to 1838, and submit a $25 lifetime membership fee. The second (for those not of Cherokee blood) must prove their ancestors were legal Cherokee Nation occupants. Contact Kathy Harmon, First Families of the Cherokee Nation, c/o Cherokee Heritage Center, PO Box 515, Tahlequah OK 74465; 888-999-6007.
Ancestor tribute
A Tribute to our Enslaved Ancestors is an ongoing photo collection project by The International Society of Sons and Daughter of Slave Ancestry (ISDSA) as part of its effort to document and preserve slave genealogy. Photos of slave ancestors born before 1865 will initially be in on exhibit at the Carter G. Woodson Regional Library, Chicago, Illinois. The exhibit will grow with additional submissions. Do not send originals; submissions will not be returned. Contact ISDSA, PO Box 436937, Chicago IL 60643-6937; [email protected].
African Middle Passage ceremony
On July 3, 1999, during a ceremonial event at sea, a monument honoring the millions of men, women, and children who lost their lives enroute to and at the hands of slavery between the 15th and 19th centuries will be lowered into the Atlantic Ocean’s Middle Passage, perhaps never to be seen again. Six replicas of the monument will be created for placement on land in Africa, the Caribbean, Central America, Europe, North and South America.
The Honorable Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations, has endorsed the project, describing it as an opportunity to help broaden the understanding of African cultures and the heritage of people of African descent.
The ships for the Monument Site depart Manhattan June 26, 1999. Related events will take place in New York City starting June 19th, enabling everyone to play an integral role in this once-in-a-lifetime salute to our great ancestors.
On July 3, 1999, the monument will be lowered and spirits lifted.
