The Story of Our Lives: Why Tell Family Stories?

“The Story of Our Lives” explored the big questions of genealogy and offer new insights into the practice of piecing together your family’s history. For the first installment, Dr. Robyn Fivush, a nationally renowned scientist, and Njaimeh Njie, one of Pittsburgh’s most engaging multimedia artists, discussed how telling family stories can positively impact people and society.
Dr. Fivush is a professor of psychology who studies the role of reminiscing and sharing family stories in the development of emotionally resilient children. For decades, Fivush and her Emory University colleagues have compiled data on the benefits of family stories on child wellbeing.
Njaimeh Njie is an artist and multimedia producer who uses images and documents of family and neighborhood history to honor everyday experiences and spark visual gateways into the past. In discussing their work, Fivush and Njie will offer insights into the many ways that telling family stories can positively impact people and society at large.