Alondra Nelson – The Social Life of DNA

We know DNA is a master key that unlocks medical and forensic secrets, but its genealogical life is both revelatory and endlessly fascinating. Tracing genealogy is now the second-most popular hobby amongst Americans, as well as the second-most visited online category. The tsunami of interest in genetic ancestry tracing from the African American community has been especially overwhelming. Alondra Nelson has studied this phenomenon deeply for over a decade. Weaving together keenly observed interactions with root-seekers, alongside historical details, she shows that genetic genealogy is a new tool for addressing old and enduring issues. In The Social Life of DNA, Nelson takes us on an unprecedented journey into how the double helix has wound its way into the heart of the most urgent contemporary social issues around race.

Alondra Nelson is Dean of Social Science and professor of sociology at Columbia University.  Her books include the award-winning Body and Soul: The Black Panther Party and the Fight against Medical Discrimination and, as coeditor, Genetics and the Unsettled Past: The Collision of DNA, Race, and History, and Technicolor: Race, Technology, and Everyday Life.

Free and open to the public.  Advance registration required.  Please visit The New York Academy of Medicine website to register.