The Kinfolkology Community welcomes Descendants of enslaved ancestors as well as allies of Descendant communities.

How does Kinfolkology define the terms “Descendant” and “ally”?

Kinfolkology uses the term “Descendant” to refer to individuals with ancestors whose names appear in Oceans of Kinfolk or Louisiana Kindred, as well as individuals who feel connected to enslaved ancestors through memory and/or kinship, whether or not they have found those ancestors’ names on historical documents or in databases produced from historical records. We also understand “Descendant” to refer to anyone who feels connected to Kinfolkology’s work, whether or not they have a genealogical connection to it. This definition is adapted from the Montpelier Descendants’ Committee’s guide to Descendant engagement (also known as “the Rubric”).

While we have chosen to define “Descendant” in these ways, we acknowledge and respect that the term means different things to different people and communities.

An ally is someone who is not a descendant of enslaved ancestors, but who supports Kinfolkology’s work, especially its goal of achieving structural parity with Descendant communities (see below).

Kinfolkology is committed to structural parity with Descendant communities.

Structural parity is a model of shared organizational authority or governance developed by the Montpelier Descendants Committee. When structural parity is in place, descendants are represented—and empowered—at every level of an organization.