Professional genealogist Kenyatta D. Berry laughs and says, "I don't see dead people; I look for them" as she climbs family trees.
A Detroit native and current Santa Monica, California, resident, Berry is also a businesswoman and technology lawyer. Most can see her detective work as she reveals people's roots on PBS' Genealogy Roadshow, which wrapped up its second season.
Berry graduated from Cass Technical High School, Michigan State University and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. Berry has also served as past president of the Association of Professional Genealogists ( APG ) and on the Council of the Corporation for the New England Historic Genealogical Society ( NEHGS ) in Boston.
Besides working, Berry has an extensive book collection in her home that she refers to when something strikes her curiosity. Along with reading, she enjoys writing. She also travels, especially to Europe; with her Irish ancestry, she goes to Dublin as often as possible.
Her interest in genealogy was initially sparked while in law school. She began researching her then boyfriend's family tree, finding a lot of information and then decided to examine her own.
"Genealogy is obsessive and I became hooked after uncovering my family's stories and my friend's stories," Berry said. "I love the research process and it's fun to share facts and history."
It seems Berry works a lot, but she explains she loves what she does as it marries her interests together.
"Genealogy, law and technology work well together because my law background helps with the research process and understanding court documents such as wills, estates and probate records," Berry said. "My love of technology helps me in the research process because I find different tools to make the more process more efficient. Also, my interest in creating a website where individuals can easily access information about former slaves involves all three."
In her genealogy research and writing, Berry specializes in African-American, Southern and slave ancestral research. Never one to turn down a challenge and resort to the easy route, she said she is one of the few genealogists with that specific focus. Berry insists although it is difficult, African-Americans can find their history despite slavery. One of the elements she enjoys most about African-American genealogy is getting what she calls the bonus family in the research; not only doing the family ancestry, but also the slave-owning family.
"What inspires me is how touched people are when they learn something new or exciting about their family," Berry said of her work. "I enjoy educating people because everyone has a story."
Berry has deep roots in Detroit as her ancestors have lived there since the late 1920s. Upon looking up her own family tree, Berry learned some interesting facts including that her family has longevity in its genes. Her great-grandmother lived to be 104, while another relative lived to be 102. Which relative would she want to have dinner with? Her answer was her fifth-great-grandfather, who spent an entire lifetime as a slave. Of her living relatives, she is close to her mother.
"Finding out my genealogy has made me understand the struggles my family went through after slavery, but also their triumphs," said Berry. "I was very honored to walk in their footsteps in Virginia and learn more about the church they helped establish in Culpeper County, Virginia. I feel a deep connection to my past and I enjoy sharing the family stories with my family, and one day with my children."
"The experience for me has been fantastic in that I'm educating people and I'm changing lives at the same time," Berry said about her role on Genealogy Roadshow. "Education has always been very important in my family. It's something my mother hammered into me when I was very young and in doing African-American genealogy, the way they kept the slaves in the position they needed to be in, it was illegal to know how to read and write. So, just knowing that I am [doing this]for my ancestors who didn't know and may not of had that privilegehere on television and I'm telling people about their pasts… I'm educating people about history and I'm telling people's tough stories."
As an ally, Berry also took an interest in the uproar in Indiana over LGBT rights. It's something she said she watched closely as most of her genealogy friends are part of the LGBT community. Genealogy, she explained, is a place where they find and feel a sense of family.
"I think genealogy is important in the LGBT community with changes in laws related to marriage and adoption," said Berry. "As couples are adopting and/or having children, finding out their family history to pass on that legacy becomes more important. Depending on someone's experience when they came out to their family there might be a wedge or friction. By researching your family history you have a connection to your family through those ancestors who are long gone. You begin to understand more about your parents or grandparents. It's also very important for family health history and uncovering patterns in behavior."
Berry said genealogy is important in the LGBT community because during each person's experience of coming out to family or friends, understanding one's ancestral background doles out a broader sense of self. While ancestors of LGBT community members may not have had the same experience, their life and their struggles help to understand more about the family dynamic.
"In the future it will be easier to identify those in the LGBT community in records because of the recent changes with marriages and other laws," Berry said. "People are leaving paper trails that document their lives before marriage or name changes, social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook are capturing our thoughts and a snapshot of our lives. For future researchers, they can reconstruct our lives much easier and have photos of their ancestors in various phases."
To learn more about Berry, visit: www.kenyattaberry.com/ .