Michelle Obama's Roots

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Barack Obama's Roots

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"The Family Tree of Michelle Obama, the First Lady" Megan's research as featured in The New York Times

Michelle Obama thanking genealogist Megan Smolenyak for researching her roots

• October 20, 2014 - The Huffington Post - "Melvina's Descendants, Michelle Obama's Cousins" by Megan Smolenyak
• June 19, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Does Accuracy in History Matter? The Case of 'American Tapestry' and Michelle Obama's Ancestors" by Megan Smolenyak
• May 31, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: 'American Tapestry' Has Holes in It" by Megan Smolenyak
• April 15, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Ancestors of Michelle Obama in the 1940 Census" by Megan Smolenyak
• February 29, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: The First Lady's Multicultural, Great Migration Past (Video)" (Part 8) by Megan Smolenyak
• February 24, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: Purnell Shields" (Part 7) by Megan Smolenyak
• February 21, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: Rebecca Jumper (aka Coleman)" (Part 6) by Megan Smolenyak
• February 14, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: Fraser Robinson" (Part 5) by Megan Smolenyak
• February 8, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: LaVaughn Johnson" (Part 4) by Megan Smolenyak
• February 3, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: The Great Mixing" (Part 3) by Megan Smolenyak
• February 1, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: The Great Migration" (Part 2) by Megan Smolenyak
• January 30, 2012 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Ancestors: Chicago Beginnings" (Part 1) by Megan Smolenyak
• January 2012 - Amazon.com - Michelle Obama's Roots - "Finding Melvina" and "The Road to a First Lady's Roots" chapters of Hey, America, Your Roots Are Showing by Megan Smolenyak
• April 15, 2011 - Megan's Roots World - "Michelle Obama's Possible Irish Roots" by Megan Smolenyak
• May 18, 2010 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Roots: Dozens of Virginia Cousins" by Megan Smolenyak
• February 20, 2010 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Roots: Proving Your Freedom (Over and Over Again)" by Megan Smolenyak
• February 20, 2010 - The Huffington Post - "Michelle Obama's Roots: "Colored Persons Cohabiting...on 27th February, 1866" by Megan Smolenyak

Michelle Obama's Roots Megan's research on Michelle Obama's roots

The Early Show interview (CBS) Megan's research on Michelle Obama's roots View Video [first video in player list]

• February 24, 2022 - Upworthy.com - "Melvinia Shields was a slave. Five generations later, her direct descendant became nation's first Black First Lady." by Sethuraman S
• November 1, 2021 - Snopes - "Is This a Monument to Michelle Obama’s Former Slave Ancestor?" by Nur Ibrahim
• June 26, 2013 - Modern Ghana - "Obamas to confront ancestry on Senegal slave island" by Agence France Presse
• June 16, 2013 - RTE Radio - "With Michelle Obama and her daughters visiting these shores, genealogist Megan Smolenyak tells us about tracing Michelle (and Barack)'s roots" with Marian Finucane
  [Scroll down page to "Sunday newspaper panel, part 2"]
• June 12, 2013 - Independent.ie - "Obama girls booked in for eye-opening visit to the first family's 'homeland'" by Bette Brown
• June 11, 2013 - International Business Times - "Obama Monument Dedicated To First Lady's Ancestor Toppled, Georgia Police Looking For Vandals" by Zoe Mintz
• January 10, 2013 - Chicago Tribune - "Obama to use family Bible during swearing-in" by Katherine Skiba
• January 1, 2012 - Chicago Tribune - "We're all (likely) related to stars" by Katherine Skiba
  Read this article in PDF format
• May 26, 2011 - The Irish Times - "Michelle Obama: the Irish connection" by Daniel Geary
• April 27, 2011 - Irish Echo - "Details of Obama visit still unclear" by Susan Falvella Garraty
• May 18, 2010 - Martinsville Bulletin - "First lady's family tree has deep roots in Henry County" by Eliza Winston
• May 18, 2010 - ABC TV Local News - "First Lady Tied to Southside"
• May 18, 2010 - Martinsville Bulletin - "Register at Bassett center key to Obama research" by Eliza Winston
• May 14, 2010 - Herald-Journal (Spartanburg) - "Historian who traced first lady's roots to speak in Spartanburg" by Linda Conley
• October 11, 2009 - Voice Online - "Michelle Obama's roots traced back to six-year-old slave girl"
• October 9, 2009 - The Guardian - "Michelle Obama may have white slave-owner ancestor" by Ed Pilkington
• October 9, 2009 - The Irish Times - "White slave-owner roots of Michelle Obama unearthed" by Lara Marlowe
• October 9, 2009 - Daily Mail Online - "White 'slave-owner' roots of Michelle Obama revealed" by Paul Thompson and Wil Longbottom
• October 8, 2009 - Reuters - "Genealogist unearths first lady's family tree back to 1850" by David Alexander
• October 8, 2009 - PBS News Hour - "Michelle Obama's Ancestry Reveals Intriguing Slave Tale" transcript and video
• October 8, 2009 - New York Daily News - "First Lady Michelle Obama's family tree traces road from slavery to White House: report" by Lauren Johnston
• October 8, 2009 - BBC News - "US first lady 'slave roots' found"
• October 7, 2009 - The New York Times - "The Family Tree of Michelle Obama, the First Lady" by Gabriel Dance, Elisabeth Goodridge and Megan Smolenyak
• October 7, 2009 - New York Times - "In First Lady's Roots, a Complex Path From Slavery" by Rachel L. Swarns, Jodi Kantor and Megan Smolenyak
• October 7, 2009 - Chicago Tribune News - "Genealogist traces Michelle Obama's roots" by Katherine Skiba
• January 20, 2009 - New York Times - "A Portrait of Change: Nation's Many Faces in Extended First Family" by Jodi Kantor

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