Thank you to all the parents, grandparents and loved ones that came to Nia House to celebrate our Family History Project: Our Faces, Our Phenotypes: Understanding the Diversity in Our Community. We enjoyed a wonderful turnout reflecting the phenotypic and generational diversity within our community.
Nia House honors the diversity within our community. Part of our curriculum includes learning the scientific reasons for our phenotypic differences: Why do some of us have more melanin than others? What is the purpose of curlier hair, or lighter eyes? These questions have scientific answers that can be uncovered as we trace our ancestral lineages to the world map. Every phenotype evolved as an advantage in the climates of our ancient ancestors. We would like to explore and celebrate this with you and your families.
We believe that deepening our understanding of the ways and whys for our differences will aide Nia House children in becoming teachers of peace. Instead of simply accepting and tolerating difference, our goal is to help children understand and value difference.
You can help by identifying where on the map your family represents to the best of your knowledge. In many families, members of the same family have lineages from places different than their children. Please share any and all the lineages that best honor your family. We know that not all families have this information but we can help children by making a best guess. Nia House wants identity to be defined by the family and self.
Please participate in this project by providing continents or countries of your child's origin to share. An example is provided below.
Example: Atticus’s lineage can be traced to Asia (China & Japan), Africa (West?), and Europe (all over).
You can email Stacey this information to: stacey@niahouse.org
Thank you for your support in this project.
