Global Family Reunion at a Glance
THE GLOBAL FAMILY REUNION
The Day the World Connects
WHAT: The largest, most inclusive, most fascinating family reunion in history.
WHO IS INVITED: All members of the human family.
AGENDA: The Global Family Reunion will be part Family Reunion, part Genealogy Conference, part Music Festival and part World’s Fair. There will be talks from genealogists, scientists and entertainers about every aspect of family, including DNA, ancestry and personal stories. There will be music, comedy, games, contests, exhibits, food and genealogy booths. And the world’s largest family photo.
WHEN: June 6, 2015 (all day long)
WHERE: The New York Hall of Science, on the grounds of the historic World’s Fair. There will also be dozens of satellite parties across the world with access to a free live-stream of our speakers, including events at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the Midwest Genealogy Center in Missouri and many more.
THE CAUSE: All proceeds from the event will go directly to Alzheimer’s research and care.
PRESS: The GFR has already been covered in The New York Times, NPR, People, ABC News, Buzzfeed, Time and many others. We have commitments from many national press outlets to cover the reunion next summer, including Good Morning America, People magazine, NPR, Esquire and more.
THE WEBSITE: GlobalFamilyReunion.com, where 35,000 people have signed up so far.
THE THEME: All humans are related, and we need to start treating each other with more kindness.
THE MOVIE AND BOOK: The Global Family Reunion will be featured in a book by bestselling author A.J. Jacobs and a documentary by Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me).
THE INVITE LIST: Everyone is invited. Those with a confirmed connection to the Global Family Tree will get a bracelet and be part of the world’s largest photo.
THE HOW: We are in a midst of an amazing revolution in family history thanks to advances in online collaborative genealogy research and and DNA testing.
THE HOSTS: Bestselling author A.J. Jacobs and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.
CONFIRMED SPEAKERS
(more to come)
- Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (host of PBS’s Finding YourRoots)
- Spencer Wells (geneticist and head of the Genographic project)
- D. Josh Taylor (genealogist and president of FGS)
- Randy Whited (genealogist)
- Dr. Oz (surgeon and TV host)
- NPR host Scott Simon (giving a talk on adoption)
- President George H.W. Bush (via video)
- Daniel Radcliffe (live or via video)
- Lisa Loeb (singer)
- Morgan Spurlock (filmmaker)
- Cass Sunstein (Harvard professor, former Obama official)
- James Altucher (bestselling author, influential blogger)
- George Church (Harvard geneticist)
- Ophira Eisenberg (host of NPR’s Ask me Another and storyteller)
- Paul Williams (Oscar-winning songwriter)
CONFIRMED ENTERTAINERS
- Sister Sledge (singing “We Are Family,” of course)
- Comedian Nick Kroll
- Comedian Michael Ian Black
- Paul Williams (Oscar-winning songwriter)
- Lisa Loeb (singer)
ACTIVITIES
- World’s biggest family photo
- Talks by genealogists, scientists and storytellers
- Sing along to Sister Sledge
- 400 interactive exhibits at the NY Hall of Science
- Mini-golf course
- Family-themed scavenger hunt
- Food trucks from every part of our human family
- Science-themed playground
- Meet and greet historical figures
- Booths from MyHeritage, Geni, WikiTree, FamilySearch, among others
- Biggest-ever family tree
- Family talent contest
- Potato sack races and other family games
- Global Family Cookbook
A SAMPLING OF PRESS SO FAR
-
Harvard Professor Steven Pinker
Close DNA cousins with host A.J. Jacobs -
Bill Weir
CNN Anchor -
President Abraham Lincoln
17 steps from host A.J. Jacobs -
400 Activities
-
Lisa Loeb
Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter. -
David Blaine
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A sports challenge exhibit, including a surfing simulator, arm-wrestling machine and a pitching cage where a radar gun will measure the speed of your throws
-
Brady Rymer
Kid Rockers