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Has anyone heard of the Roots Matter project begun by Jonathan Matthews?
Matthews' program is designed to pay for the cost of the genealogy and DNA fees and also assist people with their research. Matthews said the program, including the DNA tests, can be especially helpful for Black families because names of enslaved people were arbitrarily changed and records were altered, withheld or destroyed. Matthews started his program with one family in 2019 and now is working with 15 families in Battle Creek. With some donations he has been able to pay the $1,000 cost per family and hopes to provide the service without cost to families. He has plans to expand to Kalamazoo and Lansing with a goal of 200 families just in Battle Creek and a projected budget in 2021 of $388,000.