Ancestry Weekly Journal columnist and Chief Family Historian at Ancestry.com has been invited to participate in a roundtable discussion on race relations. Congratulations Megan on this great honor!   The press release from Ancestry follows…

ANCESTRY.COM’S CHIEF FAMILY HISTORIAN, MEGAN SMOLENYAK, TO PARTICIPATE IN NATIONAL ACTION NETWORK PANEL, APRIL 18 2007

Roundtable Discussion on “Improving Race Relations: Where Do We Go From Here–Chaos or Community?” with Ed Koch, former New York City Mayor, Howard Dean, Chairman DNC and Harold Ford, former Congressman of Tennessee

PROVO, UTAH – April 18, 2007 – Ancestry.com, the world’s largest online resource for family history, today announced that Chief Family Historian, Megan Smolenyak, will have the honor of speaking on a National Action Network Convention panel on Wednesday, April 18th. Recently, Ms. Smolenyak discovered a shocking connection that linked the ancestors of the Reverend Al Sharpton with the late Senator Strom Thurmond’s ancestors sparking a nationwide discussion on family history. The panel discussion will be broadcast live on Reverend Sharpton’s National Radio Show.

“As seen from the unlikely discovery of the connection between Rev. Sharpton and late Sen. Thurmond, we’re all more interconnected than we could possibly imagine,” said Megan Smolenyak, Chief Family Historian for Ancestry.com. “Our roots reveal more than who we are and where we’re from – they bring all our stories full circle and tell a powerful story of our past. It’s an honor to be invited by the National Action Network to discuss how we relate with and to one another with such an important group of individuals.” 

Ms. Smolenyak will be speaking on the panel with Ed Koch, former New York City Mayor, Howard Dean, Chairman DNC and Harold Ford, former Congressman of Tennessee on the topic of Improving Race Relations: Where Do We Go From Here – Chaos or Community? On Wednesday, April 18th at 12:30 p.m. ET at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City.

About Ancestry.com
With 24,000 searchable databases and titles, Ancestry.com is the No. 1 online source for family history information. Since its launch in 1997, Ancestry.com has been the premier resource for family history, simplifying genealogical research for millions of people by providing them with many easy-to-use tools and resources to build their own unique family trees. Ancestry.com is part of The Generations Network, Inc., a leading network of family-focused interactive properties, including MyFamily.com, Rootsweb.com, Genealogy.com and Family Tree Maker. In total, The Generations Network properties receive 9.6 million unique visitors worldwide and over 380 million page views a month (comScore Media Metrix, February, 2007).
Media Contacts

Julia Burgon
Coltrin & Associates (for Ancestry.com)
212-221-1616 ext. 124
[email protected]

Tola St. Matthew-Daniel
Coltrin & Associates (for Ancestry.com)
212-221-1616 ext. 101
[email protected]