A powerful story by the Keynote Speaker

The General Session on day 2 of RootsTech 2025 featured the keynote speaker, Dana Tanamachi. Dana is of Japanese and Mexican American heritage, and is an artist and designer and has created a wide range of designs. I’m not much of follower of fine arts, in fact I call myself a Philistine when it comes to paintings by the old masters and so on, but I really loved these creations.

She told us the story of her Tanamachi family. A story which she described as being a story about injustice, but one in which she has found hope. A story that illustrates Gaman. This is a Japanese word which means to endure the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.

Along with many Japanese Americans, her grandparents were interned during WWII as enemy aliens. Their story is very uplifting, which I know is a strange thing to say about life in an internment camp in the Arizona desert. And Dana’s story is also inspiring. Rather than attempt to retell the story, which I could not possibly do justice to, I recommend that you listen to it yourself at https://www.familysearch.org/en/rootstech/session/rootstech-2025-general-session-2.

 

DISCLOSURE: I am a RootsTech 2025 conference Media Rep and in return for my promotion of the conference I receive a free entry pass and some additional non-monetary perks. My transportation and accommodation are not compensated.

 

Day 1 of RootsTech 2005

 RootsTech 2025 is up and running.

The first General Session, as always, started with Steve Rockwood, the CEO of FamilySearch International. His talk debuted a new stage layout, coming out into the audience. Steve introduced this year’s theme: Discover.

This is FamilySearch’s aspiration for everyone, and one thing you can do to facilitate this is to add what you do know to the FamilySearch Family Tree. This will allow others discover more about their ancestors.

Next, Ancestry’s Christa Cowan talked about the importance of a FAN club (Friends, Associates & Neighbours) in telling and understanding a person’s life. Not only does this paint a fuller picture of their life, but studying the people in a community can help break through brick walls.

With Ancestry networks you can now document relationships beyond immediate family, including complicated connections like enslavement. Ancestry will include tools to help you group people by community, shared experience, place or time. More sessions on this new feature will take place during the conference. These networks will allow you to tell the WHOLE story of a person’s life.

Unfortunately keynote Rachel Platten, singer songwriter, couldn’t be there in person, but she did attend by video. She talked about her struggle with herself and about her family, and sang one of her songs, “Girls”.

It's not too late to watch the wonderful talks and see the expo hall. Just go to https://rootstech.org.

DISCLOSURE: I am a RootsTech 2025 conference Media Rep and in return for my promotion of the conference I receive a free entry pass and some additional non-monetary perks. My transportation and accommodation are not compensated.