The CCC is pleased to announce that the 1996 group of interns of the genealogy research program In Search of Roots will open their exhibit in the Community Gallery on Saturday, February 1, 1997. They will also present their research, talk about the reasons for participating in the program and the experience they had as a ROOTS intern on Saturday, February 8, 1997 at 1:00 P.M. in the auditorium of the CCC.

In this program, now in its sixth year, the participants, through oral interviews, examination of family records, and archival and document research, developed their individual family histories back to at least the first generation who went abroad. Each family history was treated as an integral part of the history and culture of the larger society so as to give it depth and a broader perspective.

For two weeks in July, the nine students, accompanied by group leaders Manni Liu, the CCC's Curator and Assistant Director, and Hamilton Cheng, '92 ROOTS alumnus, visited their ancestral villages in Guangdong Province, China. This journey became a powerful emotional learning experience both for each individual and collectively for the group. It was the climax of the family history and genealogy program sponsored by the Chinese Culture Foundation, the Chinese Historical Society of America, and the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office in Guangdong Province of the People's Republic of China.

Participation in this program has helped to strengthen the students' sense of identity with family traditions and has heightened their awareness of and sensitivity toward their Chinese heritage. The exhibition features family genealogy trees, immigration records, documents and old photographs by the interns of the program. All CCC members, friends and family of the interns are invited to participate in both the exhibition and the presentation.

The applications for the 1997 ROOTS program have been sent out to CCC members. If you need additional application brochures, please call or write to the Center. You can also get information and print a copy of the application from this web site.