Registration opens:
September 07th, 2026

America at 250: Opportunity, Exclusion and Resilience

Katherine Willson explores how immigrants and other marginalized groups moved through a rapidly changing country while navigating questions of rights, identity and belonging. Register for Zoom link.

America’s story is one of families seeking opportunity while facing exclusion and hardship. This interactive presentation follows that story across many communities, including Native Americans, early colonial settlers, African Americans and 19th- and 20th-century European immigrants. It explores how people moved through a rapidly changing country (sometimes by choice, sometimes under pressure), and how immigrants and other marginalized groups navigated questions of rights, identity and belonging. Guided reflection encourages attendees to consider how opportunity, resilience and exclusion shaped these communities, with practical ideas for preserving those stories for future generations.

Presenter: Katherine R. Willson is a genealogy lecturer at local, regional, and national conferences; an educator teaching beginning, intermediate and advanced genealogy classes in Michigan since 2001; the author of "The Genealogist’s Guide to Grand Rapids, Michigan," and a professional researcher for private clients. Her research specialties include solving difficult genealogical problems in the Great Lakes region (including Michigan Territory’s pre-statehood settlers), 19th-century social reform movements and America’s westward expansion in the 18th and 19th centuries.

Public Humanities programs and resources are presented with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this programming do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Zoom Accessibility

• Automatic transcription
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