Biological Anthropologists! The AABA (US) IDEAS Program is welcoming applications for BOTH Student Scholars and Faculty Scholars. The Faculty Scholar deadline is October 15th, and the Student Scholar deadline is October 31st. Please share this call widely! Flyers for each, below:

✨ Free DNA Tests for Illinois Residents! ✨ Discover your family’s story with the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program. Led by Dr. LaKisha David, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 📩 Sign up today at www.takir.org

✨ Exciting update from the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program! ✨ We are preparing to mail out 95 DNA kits to participants who recently ordered them.

We're in the Chicago Tribune! www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/04/d...

"Evanston’s Reparations Committee also participated in the event by passing out free DNA kits as part of the statewide Family Roots Pilot Program, an ongoing collaboration with the African Kinship Reunion (TAKiR) project." dailynorthwestern.com/2025/06/23/t...

"Race, ethnicity don’t match genetic ancestry, according to a large U.S. study Data from the All of Us program confirm what many geneticists have long promoted 5 Jun 202511:00 AM ETByRodrigo Pérez Ortega" www.science.org/content/arti...

"Black applicants would, on average, need credit scores approximately 120 points higher than white applicants to receive the same approval rate, and about 30 points higher to receive the same interest rate."

📣 Latest from the lab: Performance of deep-learning-based approaches to improve polygenic scores www.nature.com/articles/s41... Its thought deep learning will substantially improve PGS but the reality is MANY have tried but no/little gain has been seen so far. Here we report our negative results.

"They welcome me and our family back into the fold. Whether they were Mandinka or Wolof or whether they were Igbo. I am one proud African." — H Okafor (An African American man speaking on his experiences finding African relatives) www.takir.org Voices of Discovery: Family Identity

Bound: Africans vs. African Americans Film Screening & Community Discussion Join us for an evening of powerful storytelling with award-winning filmmaker Peres Owino. Food will be provided. Make sure you RSVP by getting a ticket. www.eventbrite.com/e/1223178904...

This survey gathers community input on reparations-related measures in Champaign County. Your responses will help guide the CU Reparations Coalition in understanding public perspectives and shaping effective and just policy recommendations. docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Walz: If you say you love freedom but you don't believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love is not freedom, it is privilege.

Coverage from a committee meeting in the City of Evanston where I discussed the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program. This program is supported by the 103rd General Assembly House Resolution 453 as championed by State Representative Carol Ammons. dailynorthwestern.com/2025/04/04/c...

Missed the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program kickoff on March 1? Want to learn more about the program and how you can get a free DNA kit? Here's a video of the event. www.youtube.com/watch?v=etxZ... (unpolished DRAFT v1)

What do boxes for 1,500 free DNA kits for Illinois look like?

Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program. Join us on March 1 and see if you qualify for a free DNA kit. The event is online. www.eventbrite.com/e/1223429734...

The Ties That Find - NCSA February 17, 2025 "Through Illinois Computes, University of Illinois researchers like Lakisha David, an assistant professor of anthropology, have found remarkable ways to incorporate NCSA’s myriad resources into their work...." www.ncsa.illinois.edu/the-ties-tha...

Professor who teaches African American studies here. If your school eliminates or bans it, I will personally host free zoom sessions, provide resources, or answer questions for students, parents/guardians, or teachers who are interested in learning or discussing African American studies.

Join us for the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program Kick-Off Meeting with Rep. Carol Ammons on Saturday, March 1st at 10:00 AM! Learn how you can sign up for a free DNA test to explore your ancestral history. www.eventbrite.com/e/1223429734...

Join us for the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program Kick-Off Meeting on Saturday, March 1st at 10:00 AM! Learn about this program promoted by Illinois 103rd General Assembly HR0453. Don't miss out - Link in bio for more details and to get tickets (free, online). www.eventbrite.com/e/illinois-f...

A random African American person born in 1960 – 1965, counting backwards in time across 14 generations and stopping on a lineage once an ancestor from Africa is reached, can expect to inherit DNA from 162 out of 314 African ancestors. Agranat-Tamir, @jazlynmooney.bsky.social , & Rosenberg (2024).

Feeling moody af. www.militarytimes.com/news/pentago...

Exclusive: NSF this week began to search through billions of dollars of grants the agency has already awarded for anything touching on topics that President Donald Trump has criticized. And NSF has blocked grantees and trainees from accessing funds while the review is underway. scim.ag/3El0NZh

National Science Foundation suspends salary payments, leaving researchers unable to pay their bills www.statnews.com/2025/01/30/t... Story by @ericboodman.bsky.social

I attended the recent African Diaspora Development Institute (ADDI) Zoom meeting "Burkina Faso Offers Citizenship to ADDI Members". (ADDI is spearheaded by former African Union Ambassador to the U.S. Her Excellency, Ambassador Arikana Chihombori-Quao, MD.) Here are my takeaways from the meeting.