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.