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Editor’s Note: American Ancestors, the 10 Million Names project, National Urban League, and Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands' events welcome the general public, please publish for your audience.

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H I S T O R Y • H E R I T A G E • H E A L I N G • H O P E

Reclaiming Black Ancestry:

A Powerful Conversation

The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands

Partners with the National Urban League

and American Ancestors for Nationwide Virtual Program

National Leaders Marc Morial and Kenyatta Berry Engage

in National Dialogue on Family, Identity, and the Legacy of Enslavement

ST. THOMAS, USVI and BOSTON, MA Issued June 9, 2025... On the eve of Juneteenth, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI), partners with American Ancestors®, and the National Urban League®, to present the profound, free virtual program 10 Million Names: A Conversation About African American Family History and Healing, on Thursday, June 12, 5:00 to 6:30 pm EDT. This online gathering features a compelling conversation between two prominent figures: Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, and Kenyatta D. Berry, acclaimed genealogist, entrepreneur, author, and television host of PBS’s Genealogy Roadshow. Registration for the virtual event is open at tinyurl.com/2pz3uauf.

“CFVI is honored to support this important conversation about African American family history and healing in recognition of Juneteenth,” said Dee Baecher-Brown, President of the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands. “Our commitment to education and community empowerment aligns deeply with the mission of this project—to help millions of descendants of enslaved persons reconnect with their roots and their stories. We encourage everyone in our network to join us in this virtual event and to share this opportunity widely. Understanding our history is a vital step toward healing, belonging, and building a stronger future for all.”

In September 2023, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) launched United We Stand: Connecting Through Culture, an initiative leveraging the arts and humanities to combat hate-motivated violence and foster civic engagement. As the official U.S. Virgin Islands partner for NEH, CFVI was invited to participate in this special grant opportunity.

Having been introduced to 10 Million Names through its pioneering work, CFVI recognized the importance of incorporating Caribbean connections—recognizing that many enslaved individuals and slaveholders moved between the Caribbean and early American colonies, including the Virgin Islands. CFVI then invited the Caribbean Genealogy Library, a past NEH grantee, to co-develop a proposal. In March 2024, this collaboration resulted in the launch of Using Genealogy to Teach Inclusive History: U.S. Virgin Islands, a one-day educational program on St. Thomas, with virtual participation from others. The workshop trained 31 educators and community members to use genealogical tools to foster critical thinking and connect students to inclusive historical narratives.

Building on this collaboration and shared commitment to education, equity, and historical recovery, CFVI is proud to join as a partner in this national conversation on African American family history and healing.

The Dialogue:

10 Million Names: A Conversation About African American Family History and Healing

This isn’t just an event. It’s a homecoming. This special event honors the lives, stories, and legacies of the 10 million enslaved African American men, women, and children whose names and histories were systematically erased by slavery—and celebrates the modern descendants reclaiming those stories today. Together, we will Recover. Restore. Remember.

10 Million Names 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 America (specifically, the territory that would become the United States) between the 1500s and 1865. The project seeks to amplify the voices of people who have been telling their family stories for centuries, connect researchers and data partners with people seeking answers to family history questions, and expand access to data, resources, and information about enslaved African Americans.

There are at least 44 million descendants of enslaved individuals living today, but slavery separated families, erased names, and obscured facts. The 10 Million Names Project, launched by American Ancestors and its partners in 2023, aims to connect the family stories of these descendants to the 10 million men, women, and children of African descent who were enslaved in the U.S. prior to emancipation and to restore their names to history.

Featured Guests and Highlights:

Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, will share personal reflections on his own ancestry, identity, and legacy in a live conversation with Kenyatta D. Berry, a pioneer in African American genealogy and a passionate advocate for the power of knowing one’s roots. The conversation will culminate in a special live reveal by Kenyatta Berry—sharing new research into Marc Morial’s personal family history.

The evening will also feature the debut of a short impact reel showcasing the progress of 10 Million Names, including the more than one million names already recovered.

Featured Guest Biographies:

KENYATTA BERRY is a noted genealogist, attorney, and television personality, best known for hosting Genealogy Roadshow on PBS, which drew over 1.5 million viewers per episode. A contributor to The 1619 Project, Berry is one of today’s leading voices in African American genealogical research. She has been featured in Good Housekeeping, Black Enterprise, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, and many others. Known for her sharp wit and global reach, she continues to democratize the field of genealogy through education, media, and innovation.

MARC H. MORIAL is the President and CEO of the National Urban League. Over the last 15 years, Marc has expanded the reach of the League's services by empowering its affiliate movement and developing a framework to create policies that serve communities of color. As Mayor of New Orleans from 1994 to 2002, Morial led New Orleans’ renaissance and left office with a 70% approval rating. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Economics and African American Studies and holds a law degree from Georgetown University. He also is the author of The Gumbo Coalition, a collection of lessons on the power of unity in our Democracy and a leadership framework for America's changemakers.

About the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands

Since 1990, the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands (CFVI) has been a catalyst for positive change in the territory through initiatives committed to youth, learning, family support, and the environment. With a professional staff and a volunteer Board of Directors composed of community leaders, CFVI is a trusted advocate and supporter of programs that ensure opportunity and sustainability for current and future generations. CFVI is a registered non-profit organization entirely supported by individual donors, grants, trusts, corporate donations, and estate planning. For more information, visit cfvi.net.

About 10 Million Names

About American Ancestors

American Ancestors® is a national nonprofit center for family history, heritage & culture based in Boston, Massachusetts that has been setting the gold standard for genealogical research since its founding in 1845. Today, American Ancestors serves 400K+ members and subscribers through AmericanAncestors.org, one of the world’s largest online collections of family history resources. In 2025, American Ancestors launched the Family Heritage Experience, an interactive, state-of-the-art exhibition that introduces visitors to the joy of family history research, located at 97 Newbury Street at our headquarters in Boston. American Ancestors is also home to the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center, which preserves New England’s Jewish history, and 10 Million Names, a project dedicated to finding the names of the enslaved men, women, and children in pre- and post-colonial America before emancipation. For more information,

visit americanancestors.org.

About National Urban League

The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment, equality, and social justice. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the Urban League collaborates at the national and local levels with community leaders, policymakers, and corporate partners to elevate the standards of living for African Americans and other historically underserved groups. The organization spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research, and advocacy. Today, the National Urban League has 92 affiliates serving 300 communities in 37 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than two million people nationwide. The League promotes economic empowerment through education and job training, housing and community development, workforce development, entrepreneurship, health, and quality of life. For more information, visit nul.org.

Photos: Media recipients have permission to use the photo on all media platforms, no limitations on use. American Ancestors is the owner of the rights to use the images.

Center Left: Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League, courtesy image

Center Right: Kenyatta D. Berry, acclaimed genealogist, entrepreneur, author, and television host of PBS's Genealogy Roadshow, courtesy image

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