Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · 10d

Reposted by LaKisha David

Graciela Cabana @gscabana.bsky.social · 21d

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:

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · 25d

✨ 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

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Sep 1

📬 If you live in Illinois and haven’t yet requested your free DNA kit, you can still sign up while supplies last at www.takir.org.

Together, we are building bridges across time, family, and history. 💚

Home - The African Kinship Reunion

www.takir.org

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Sep 1

Every kit brings us one step closer to reconnecting families and uncovering powerful stories of heritage and history. We are thrilled to see so many communities joining this journey with us.

Home - The African Kinship Reunion

www.takir.org

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Sep 1

These kits are heading to families across Illinois—from Chicago, Champaign, Evanston, Homewood, Skokie, Oak Park, Naperville, Hazel Crest, Rockford, Collinsville, Fairview Heights, Peoria, Urbana, and more.

Home - The African Kinship Reunion

www.takir.org

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Sep 1

✨ Exciting update from the Illinois Family Roots Pilot Program! ✨

We are preparing to mail out 95 DNA kits to participants who recently ordered them.

Home - The African Kinship Reunion

www.takir.org

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Aug 14

www.wbez.org/reset-with-s...

DNA program allows Chicagoans of African descent to recover lost family ties due to slave trade

Many Black people in the U.S. cannot trace their ancestry because earlier generations of their family were enslaved. But an Illinois program is changing what’s possible and connecting long-lost family...

www.wbez.org

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Aug 5

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

DNA project hopes to reunite African Americans in Illinois with ancestral relatives in Africa

Black Americans in Illinois can submit a DNA sample to a university-based project trying to find their ancestral homes, living relatives in Africa.

www.chicagotribune.com

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Jul 17

thekenyatimes.com/breaking-new...

Kenya Officially Drops Visa Requirement For All African Countries

Kenya has officially scrapped visa requirements for all African nationals and most Caribbean countries.

thekenyatimes.com

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Jun 28

"After taking the tests at the committee’s table, African American descendants of enslaved individuals have the opportunity to explore their genealogy as a form of cultural healing, according to La Kisha Latham, a TaKiR community affiliate."

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Jun 28

"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...

Evanston’s sixth annual Juneteenth parade uplifts community, Black legacies

The Evanston community danced with joy on Saturday during its sixth annual Juneteenth Celebration & Freedom Parade, which concluded with festivities at Ingraham Park celebrating local Black legacies. ...

dailynorthwestern.com

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Jun 12

"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...

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

www.science.org

Reposted by LaKisha David

Alondra Nelson @alondra.bsky.social · Jun 7

"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."

Ripperoni @ripperoni.com · Jun 7

“Why do people hate AI?”

Meanwhile

news.lehigh.edu/ai-exhibits-...

AI Exhibits Racial Bias in Mortgage Underwriting Decisions

LLM training data likely reflects persistent societal biases, but simple fixes can help, according to findings from Donald Bowen III, McKay Price and Ke Yang.

news.lehigh.edu

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Reposted by LaKisha David

Mike Inouye @mikeinouye.bsky.social · Jun 5

📣 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.

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Jun 1

www.eventbrite.com/e/1223178904...

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · May 24

"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

Home - The African Kinship Reunion

www.takir.org

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · May 15

Rep Carol Ammons will also talk about the motivation behind the Family Roots Pilot Program and free DNA testing to learn about African heritage as supported by Illinois House Resolution 453 (HR0453) and Senate Resolution 590 (SR0590).

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · May 15

Peres will be joined by Illinois State Representative Carol Ammons. Together, they will lead a reflective and interactive conversation on the historical tensions between Africans and African Americans, the healing power of shared stories, and the pathways being created for reconnection.

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · May 15

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...

Film Screening: Bound: Africans vs African Americans with Peres Owino

An educational session with a movie screening with a discussion regarding HR453 The African Kinship Reunion (TAKiR) Project.

www.eventbrite.com

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · May 2

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...

Champaign Urbana Reparations Coalition Survey

Thank you for taking the time to complete this survey. The purpose of this survey is to gather community input on reparations-related measures in Champaign County and other Illinois communities. Your ...

docs.google.com

Reposted by LaKisha David

Acyn @acyn.bsky.social · Apr 24

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.

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LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Apr 5

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...

Reparations Committee discusses DNA ancestry testing, updates from Reparations Business Climate survey Reparations Committee talks DNA testing, Reparations Business Climate survey

Evanston’s Reparations Committee discussed a potential partnership reconstructing African ancestry with DNA testing Thursday. The committee welcomed LaKisha David, an assistant professor of anthropol...

dailynorthwestern.com

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Mar 4

The program is supported by the Illinois 103rd General Assembly House Resolution 453, which was sponsored by State Representative Carol Ammons and written by Jailene Aguirre, M.S.

LaKisha David @lakishadavid.bsky.social · Mar 4

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)

Illinois Family Roots Genealogy Pilot Program Kickoff

YouTube video by LaKisha David

www.youtube.com

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