Melungeon Voices

Janeen Stevens is a native of Michigan and graduate of Wayne State University and has been researching her family genealogy and history for over 10 years. Growing up, she was exposed to the oral history given by her grandparents who were born in the early 1900s. And she experienced a deep longing to understand more about the history of her family. For this week's episode, host Heather Andolina exp...

Ron Carson is the founder of the Appalachian African American Cultural Center. He has dedicated his life and work to the collection and preservation of the narratives, experiences, and artifacts of historical import to the black people of Appalachia. Along with his wife, Jill, he prevented the demolition of an old one room schoolhouse he'd attended as a child, and in 1987, created the Appalachian...

In this bonus episode , we recorded live from Martinsville, VA at the 2022 Melungeon Heritage Association Union Conference at the Author Event held at the historic Parish House. MHA Board President, Heather Andolina, welcomes listeners to the podcast, then hands the baton to podcast producer, Lis Malone, for interviews with featured authors: LaTonya Beatty Dr. Melissa Carver Paul Johnson Dr....

Katya Faris, MA ethnomusicology, MA Jyotisha/Vedic Astrology, is from Hindustan, Indiana, and is a certified Jyotishi, or sidereal Vedic astrologer, Middle Eastern dance artist and music producer, Tarot practitioner, and Master level Reiki healing practitioner.  Part of her heritage is “Black Dutch” Melungeon, Cherokee and Choctaw. In this episode, Heather Andolina, Board President of the Mel...

Mike Richards and Tim Webb are long-time friends turned music collaborators. Mike Richards is a Dove award-winning songwriter and award-nominee. He has produced two albums which charted in Billboard magazine. He founded the Bluegrass Gospel group, The Chigger Hill Boys and Terri, and he co- wrote “Face to Face,” with Amazing Grace which propelled the act to number one on inspirational music charts...

Ramona Moore Big Eagle is an award winning and internationally renowned motivational speaker, storyteller, cultural educator, consultant, and workshop facilitator. She is president and CEO of Dare to Soar Enterprises, an organization she formed in 1991 to empower people of all ages and across all walks of life to become more effective communicators. In this episode, Heather Andolina (Melungeon Her...

Last, but certainly not least, we present a compelling discussion with one of our prominent speakers from this year’s MHA Union Conference. Dr. Arwin Smallwood is Professor and Chair of the Department of History and Political Science at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro. His research primarily focuses on the relationships between African-American, Native-Amer...

Lauren Magnussen is a Production Editor at Mascot Books. She has a B.A. in English from the College of William and Mary and is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in English Literature. She worked in Academia and professional theatre before transitioning to her dream job in book publishing. In this week’s episode, Lauren and I discuss her extensive research and discoveries on the Melungeon...

Onur Kaya is a Professor at Burdur Mehmet Akif  Ersoy, located in Burdur, Turkey. He has written several published articles and papers, as well as presented at many Academic conferences. The Melungeon people are one of his main research areas and the subject of his PhD thesis. In this episode, Onur joins Heather from his home country of Turkey, to share his extensive research on the surp...

William Isom II is a native of Hamblen County, Tennessee. He's the director of community outreach for East Tennessee PBS, and is the director of the Black in Appalachia Project. During this episode, William shares what it’s like to be multi-ethnic and black in Appalachia, how it is connected to the Melungeon people, and how it inspired the growth of the Black in Appalachia Project. Presented by th...

LaTonya Beatty is an avid Genealogist, blogger, and family Historian. She has been researching Genealogy for almost twenty years. She holds an Associate’s Degree in Art, and is the author of two books and is currently working on a new children’s book. In today’s podcast, Tonya shares little known facts about the Quakers, the Underground Railroad, and Free People of Color. Presented by the Melungeo...

Jake Richards grew up and currently lives in East Tennessee. He is the author of two books, one published just a few of months ago. Jake writes about his Melungeon and Cherokee traditions and ancestry, which are on both sides of his family. His Melungeon ancestors came from both Newman’s Ridge and the Pee Dee River migrations. In this episode, Jake shares his fascinating knowledge of Appalach...

Kimberly Knight earned a Bachelors in Family & Consumer Sciences, and a Masters in Social Work.  She is the Founder and Editor of "The Lux Blog NC" and is the Committee Chair of the Advisory Council for the first Black Indians NC Powwow for the state of North Carolina. She is currently Co-Directing and Co-Producing the upcoming documentary, “Duality: A Collection of Afro-Indigenous Perspe...

Season Finale - Author, Public Radio Station Manager and former MHA President, Wayne Winkler, discusses his book "Beyond the Sunset" about the Melungeon outdoor drama, Walk Toward the Sunset, and its significance on the Melungeon people back then, as well as today. 

Internationally acclaimed Gullah/Geechee artist, speaker, and Pan African Culture Heritage Fellow, Sonja Griffin Evans, shares her beautiful and unique Gullah/Geechee heritage, and its influence on her artwork. She also discusses what inspires her, and how her cultural roots from the past impacts her work and messages it will send to future generations. 

Software developer, Robert Wells, repurposed his professional skills in both research and analysis to pursue genealogical studies. In this episode he shares his knowledgeable insight while providing tips on how to apply genealogical records, DNA analysis and third-party ancestry records services to learn more about your own personal family tree, as well as ways to avoid common research pitfalls. H...

Author and retired Library Director, Paul Johnson, shares insight into his research on Sarah Stanley Grimke and her connection to several mixed ethnic members of a distinguished Coastal Carolina plantation family, as well as Paschal Beverly Randolph and his possible connection to President Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. 

Retired Dentist, Author and Researcher, Bill Gipson, shares his vast knowledge and research findings into the historic migration of the Gipson/Gibson and Collins families, in addition to surprising possible foreign origins related to Melungeon ancestry. Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association Hosted by Heather Andolina Produced by Lis Malone

District Court Judge and Author, Beverly Scarlett, shares her personal journey in discovering her Melungeon ancestry which began with a mysterious family photo and later developed into her deep genealogical family research which has inspired her new book due out this summer. Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association Hosted by Heather Andolina Produced by Lis Malone

Historian and Documentary filmmaker, Frederick Murphy, discusses filmmaking, race, historical trauma, his personal story (and Melungeon connection) and the mission of his project organization, History Before Us. Presented by the Melungeon Heritage Association Hosted by Heather Andolina Produced by Lis Malone

Melungeon Heritage Association President, Heather Andolina, teams up with Podcaster, Lis Malone, to bring its members (and all those interested in learning about this mixed heritage group of people) an audio -version of what was to be shared at the 2020 Conference.