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Show AV er Or fe (idol What Happened \History for now and the 2ist century How. You Can oe e Your Family History TE cr Coretta Cll(emma CaaS CA NeoMmE mca oeLa} relteye pe or videotape Meaariny @Create The nation’s “family history”alsocan bestudied changesinfamily dynamics, In the 1960s, the gener find out, Mark Clements Researchsurveyed 1234parents over age 45 with adult children and 1154 adult children overage 25 with at least one livingparent. The results may surpriseyou. great-grandmother’s story—and my ANGELA family story—started making sense. WALTONThere is a wealth of information on fam- RAdI,47, holds ily history outthere for everyone to use.” At the National Archives, Walton-Raji, auniversity administrator and author of filledaughter Walton,of Black Indian Genealogy Research (Heritage Books), found recordsthat showed her great-grandmotherhad been born into slavery, the daughterof a black heirlooms. Write down their history and protect them waa ato? Bibles and SUCTo Oo meee TU aa TTS olan ee eo Tare tamily Stories into the eco nty ¢ Support your community's historical society taining stories from the Choctaw Na- tion that Walton-Raji began to understand her ownconnectionto thathistory. “| remember my fathertelling me about how mygreat-grandmother knew all the old Choctaw ways,” says WaltonRaji, 47, of Catonsville, Md. “To me, she was a sweet old lady who made me sassafras tea. And it wasn’t till I started Overall, family ties are strong, say both parents and adult children. TAT hem eke © Adult children (88%) and parents [WTAE are light (84%) are satistied with how often they communicate with one another, uira @ Nine in 10 adult children (80%) and generations parents (95%)do not feel that the @ While 63% of adult children say they would have their healthy parents live with them, just 20% of parents would choose to movein with their kids. ‘WHAT'S IMPORTANT “Family values” endure and may be even stronger in the younger generation. © Almost all adult children (91%) and parents but she married a black Baptist minister.” (88%) say marriage is a commitment forlite. @ More children (88%) than parents (74%) say family is more important than career. Walton-Raji’s re- searchled herto a clearer caeaaes ing of herself and her family’s place in history. “Most people don’t know that many Indiantribes owned slaves and that the two cultures are connected in many ways that have been forgotten or making use of records at the National ignored,” says Walton-Raji, a frequent Archives in Washington, D.C., that my _ Speaker at African-American genealogy conferences. “AlLy thoughI havea family con- an important chapter of American history, and I want to help bringattention toit.” “It's important to find your place In history.” Sal Romano’s interest in his fami- ly’s past began with the colorful stories his mother, continued THE ROMANOS Sal, 54, with his mom, Steffi, ae oneholds pictures of her family SEX, MARRIAGE AND DEATH—ISSUES THAT UNITE AND DIVIDE What the generations agree on: © Six in 10 of all respondents disapprove of abortion. @ Seven in 10 members of both generations say a terminally ill person should havethe right to retuse lite-protonging treatment. Whatthey disagree on: @ Significantly more parents than adult children disapprove of premarital cohabitation, same-sex nectiontothis story, it’s also t created a Web site that detailshis ‘arty’. history from Italy to Colorado to New York. PARADE MAGAZIGE MOVEMBER 21, 1999 PAGE 7 FAMILY TIES ofchildren complain about parental nagging. “her family became freedmen and lived a bilingual and biculturallife, speaking English and Choctaw. Shelived the Indian ways, til she inherited an old family Bible con- oday, the rift between the generations has all but disappeared. Almost nine in 10 respondents (93% of parents and 83% of adult children) rate their relationship with the other generation as good or excellent. Here are some other key findings: cohen} | other generation interferes in their lives. Only 15% ran Cord and The Generati relationships and artificial insemination. Sireeedarce lor porents (Tae) ay they e to marry within the same race, MGiseds Gary Sox of stitoren are that view. © More parents (49%) than adult children (36%) aes thelr kids to marry within the same religion. |
