Conference Sessions

Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. descends from two of the most influential names in American history: he is the great-great-great-grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington. Ken continues his family's legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as co-founder and president of Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives (FDFI), a nonprofit organization based in Rochester, New York. His career and life path have been driven by a clear focus on FDFI's mission, "To Build Strong Children and to end systems of exploitation and oppression." 

Among his many accolades, Ken has been a keynote speaker at the United Nations and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's annual conference in Vienna and Luxembourg, received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of La Verne in California, been named as the first man to be awarded the Women's E-News 21 Leaders for the 21st Century Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism, and appointed to the 2018 Frederick Douglass Bicentennial Commission, serving as Commission Chair, by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. 

Ken appeared in the 2022 documentaries Abraham Lincoln and The American Presidency with Bill Clinton on the History Channel, the Emmy-nominated Frederick Douglass in Five Speeches on HBO and HBO Max, Becoming Frederick Douglass on PBS, and 1000 Years of Slavery on the Smithsonian Channel. Previously, he appeared in the documentaries Civil Warriors and Rise Up: The Legacy of Nat Turner on National Geographic and Blood and Glory: The Civil War in Color on the History Channel. Ken contributed the preface to Isaac Julien's Lessons of the Hour, published in 2022, the afterword to Picturing Frederick Douglass: An Illustrated Biography of the Nineteenth Century's Most Photographed American, published in 2015, and the foreword to the bicentennial edition of the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, published in January 2017. He contributed the foreword to the Douglass Family Edition of the Narrative, which will be published in June 2023 by Frederick Douglass Books, an imprint of Forefront Books, and distributed by Simon & Schuster.

Ken received a Bachelor of Arts Religion degree from the Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies at the University of La Verne. As did Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington, he firmly believes that education is the pathway to freedom. 

Eric Anderson is a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and Professor of History at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence. 

John Manning, the principal researcher of the Country School Genealogist LLC, has more than three decades of research experience. Retired after forty years as a US Army officer and Federal employee, John brings a wealth of knowledge to enrich the genealogy research experience and family history storytelling. John writes, lectures, and consults on various genealogy topics, including Irish research, military records, and our ancestors' settling in the Great Plains states.

Marty Flanagan completed an associate degree at Washburn University in education but completed her BA in Business Management at the University of Illinois at Springfield, IL.  Close to retirement, Marty picked up the hobby of genealogy to research her family, but she wanted to prove what she had was correct.  She decided to test her DNA. The rest is history. She started teaching DNA at the Topeka Genealogical Society (TGS) eight years ago. She completed a week of training with Ce Ce Moore and another week with Blaine Bettinger.  Marty also attended a week taking DNA classes at Root Tech at Salt Lake, Utah from the experts.  She has taken her genealogy to the next level, as she has proven her lines, to National Society of the Daughters of The American Revolutionary War, Colonial Dames of the 17th Century, Daughters of the American Colonies, War of 1812, Daughters of Union Vets of the Civil War & General Society Mayflower Descendants and has found 4 pilgrims in celebration of 400 years of their landing in America.

A.R.I.S.E., or African Americans Renewing Interest in Spirituals Ensemble, Inc., is made up of voices in Kansas who are dedicated to uplifting, sharing history and inspiring peace through song and storytelling. Their work aims to educate people of all cultures about the significance of spirituals, from the Underground Railroad to the Civil Rights Movement.

Valerie Mendoza is a historian and lecturer at Kansas City Kansas Community College.

Barbara LaClair was first bit by the genealogy bug as a teenager, when a distant cousin shared a genealogy report that he had compiled for one branch of their family. She has been researching her family’s history for more than thirty-five years, including research of her husband’s Potawatomi roots.  She is a member of the Topeka Genealogical Society, and currently serves as President of that organization. She periodically teaches or presents on a variety of family history topics.

Angela Bates is the organizer, founder, Executive Director and Past President of the Nicodemus Historical Society. She has achieved the vision of a community organization that would collect, preserve and interpret the history of Nicodemus in collections including historic photos, documents, and objects. Since 1988 when she first envisioned the organization, she was handed the preservation baton from her great cousin and former NFL football player Veryl Switzer. In 1996 her efforts to get Nicodemus designated a unit of the National Park Service was finally achieved. After 30 years of hard work she continues to pursue efforts that contribute to her legacy as an honored steward of her home town Nicodemus.

Kim Phillips is a writer and history buff who shares with others the importance of learning from the past. She grew up in western Kansas hearing stories about her Volga German family and the challenges they endured. After joining the military to travel the world and earn a degree journalism and creative writing, she circled back to retire in her home state. Kim lives in Leawood where she researches Germans from Russia and is working on a book based on letters, memoirs and audio recordings from her ancestors.

Renee is a family history librarian and consultant since 1983. She was a librarian in Des Moines, Iowa,  a Family History Library, Past Director of Family History Library in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She is the past Family History Library Director in Topeka, Ks.

Rhythm India is a captivating dance company based in Topeka, Kansas, renowned for its mesmerizing performances that blend the vibrant energy of Bollywood with the grace and precision of classical Indian dance forms.