Genealogy For All: Let's Keep the Discussion Going!

Blue square with white square on top with text reading Genealogy For All and the word all being circled in red.

So firstly, a thank you to Natalie Pithers of Genealogy Stories for letting me post her notes that she took from the discussion. Those who attended should've gotten one final email from us. And before I get into the notes, please follow the [brilliant!] creator of the hashtag #GenealogyForAll - Mish. Now all involved have been credited, let's get into it!

• Assumptions can get baked into the tools we use, such as genealogy software requiring decisions on gender or not allowing for single parents families. We need to be looking at families in terms of networks or communities of social care or family webs rather than family trees.

• We shouldn't make assumptions about knowledge or skill sets based on people's age (or any other characteristic). Younger people may tend to be more experienced with tech but not always.

• We need to learn from each other's different skills sets

• We need to make history more personal. Sharing personal elements about our family stories helps to normalise the many differences that make up a family.

• Local history fares would give people an intro into family history and could be run on and offline

• Social media may not be tolerant or friendly to differences

• Ageism is a big problem BUT not the only problem when it comes to inclusivity and diversity.

• Paywalls can create divisions between who can and cannot afford things

• All ages and groups should help each other

• We need to recognise that some people have less time than others

• We shouldn't be defined, we "need to encompass everyone's differences" and reduce friction between groups

• We must consider accessibility

• We tend to have a British Isles focus - need to expand and be more inclusive of different cultures alongside including differently abled people, people of different socio-economic backgrounds

• One place gave access to their materials to students in return for them 'leaving something' - e.g. digitising materials or creating a display. The students got credits for their course.

• Local / Family History Groups - Can group members bring in other people to attend their first meeting free?

• Make sure we also consider neurodiversity

• Some people do genealogy on their own, just because they aren't on social media or attending workshops doesn't mean they should be forgotten.

• Challenge existing hierarchies by trying to get elected onto boards etc.

• Be aware of cultural sensitivities. What we think is OK to talk about might not be OK for another culture, so use warnings etc.

So what do you think? Join in the conversation! Join us on Twitter and include the #GenealogyForAll hashtag in your tweets so we can see them. We have a Discord server but due to potential unwanted spammers/bots [and this is where a lot of discussion happens] You can contact me either on daniel[at]danielsgenealogy.com or message me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook to get the link. Whether you joined the discussion or not, we want you to join!