Honoring Dominican Ancestral Voices through Storytelling: A Genealogy Workshop

Honoring Dominican Ancestral Voices through Storytelling

Discover Your Roots, Share Your Story

Join the Dominican Writers Association (DWA) for a transformative 6-week hybrid workshop designed to connect Dominican writers and community members with their rich cultural heritage. This unique initiative combines genealogy, storytelling, and multimedia to help participants uncover and celebrate their Dominican roots.

Workshop Highlights:

- Genealogy Research: Learn to navigate various genealogy resources and records to trace your Dominican family roots.

- Historical Context: Understand how personal family history fits into the broader tapestry of Dominican history.

- Storytelling Skills: Develop your narrative crafting abilities with guidance from esteemed Dominican writers and experts.

- Multimedia Integration: Enhance your storytelling with digital tools to create visual representations of your family history.

Through virtual sessions, participants will gain practical skills, foster a supportive community, and create detailed family trees, compelling narratives, and multimedia projects that honor their ancestors' voices.

SIGN UP FOR PAYMENT PLAN HERE.

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About the Facilitators:

Jasmin Kateri Rivera is a writer and genealogist specializing in Dominican genealogy. Her literary work has been published in Rigorous magazine and DWA's De Eso No Se Habla. Jasmin has conducted genealogical research interning at the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute and more recently as an assistant on a historical-fiction project with a Harvard professor and author. She also contributed to the NYPL LibGuide "An Introduction to Dominican Genealogy", developed in collaboration with a genealogy librarian to assist researchers in exploring Dominican heritage. Passionate about uncovering and preserving family histories, Jasmin has guided many individuals on their genealogical journeys. She is a recent graduate of Harvard University Extension School and is excited to share her expertise in this six-week course on Dominican genealogy.

Gerald Lopez was born in the United States but spent much of his early childhood and many summers in San Francisco de Macorís, where his passion for history, genealogy, and Palo music began to take root. His interest in history and genealogy was sparked by conversations with elders, listening to and remembering their stories. During celebrations, he learned to play Palo music from his relatives, which became a significant part of his cultural experience. This blend of history, genealogy, and music grew into a deep passion, eventually becoming a hobby and a support to his career in information security. Today, Gerald runs a genetic-genealogy consulting company called Buscafamily, where he helps others discover their roots. In addition to his work, he continues to play music for those who wish to celebrate their heritage.