November 12, 12-1pm EST, free, on zoom
Tracing your Ancestors: Researching Cape Verdean Genealogy
with Sonia Pacheco, Carl Cruz, Lindsay Fulton, and James Lopes, moderated by Naomi Slipp
November 12, 12-1pm EST, free, on zoom
Join leading archivists and genealogical researchers as they describe personal journeys to trace their ancestral roots and share useful tools and fruitful avenues for conducting your own genealogical research. Moderated by Naomi Slipp, Douglas & Cynthia Crocker Endowed Chair for Chief Curator and Director of Museum Learning at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, this free, online program is a unique opportunity to learn more about how to find the branches on your family tree with a special focus on Cape Verdean-descended people, and is offered as a companion to the Museum’s Cape Verdean Contemporary project.
About the speakers:
A proud Cape Verdean, Carl J. Cruz is a past member of the Board of Trustees and Co-Chair of the Cape Verdean Advisory Committee at the New Bedford Whaling Museum, Vice-President of the New Bedford Historical Society, and a member of the Board for the New Bedford Free Public Library. Cruz curated the exhibition "From Slavery to Freedom, Frederick Douglass The New Bedford Years, 1838-1842” and is an avid historian and genealogist, with a passion for sharing the stories of his family and the region with others.
Cynthia Evans is the Director of Research for 10 Million Names at American Ancestors. She manages and performs research for 10 Million Names projects. The 10 Million Names project is a collaborative project dedicated to recovering the names of the estimated 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in pre- and post-colonial American. Cynthia joined American Ancestors in 2023. She is a researcher, historian, and genealogist with more than ten years of experience in African American history and research. Cynthia graduated with a B.A. from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri. She received an M.A. in Museum Science from Texas Tech University.
James L. Lopes served as Vice President, Education and Programming at the New Bedford Whaling Museum and guided the development of the Cape Verdean Maritime Exhibit and Captain Cuffe Park. Currently, he interprets regional history and culture at DCR Fall River Heritage State Park and teaches Mass Media and Society at Rhode Island College. Jim is a graduate, with honors, of Harvard College and Harvard Law School. His legal career spans the Entertainment and Media Industries, including serving as a vice president and general counsel at CBS/Fox Video and MCA/Universal Studios. At Reader’s Digest, Jim was Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel. Lopes has assembled one of the largest genealogical databases of Cape Verdean Americans, tracing personal families roots from the islands to Southern New England.
This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
