Kate Dudding, Storyteller

Kate Dudding: Voices From the Past: June, 2016

This is the twenty-eighth issue of Voices From the Past. My goal for each issue is to publish some highlights of one of my historical stories as well as an update on my activities. Please feel free to forward this e-newsletter to anyone you think might be interested.

Below is a story which will be on my next CD, tentatively titled "Learning About Muslims." I've been priviledged to meet a number of Muslims at meetings of the Interfaith Story Circle of the Tri-City Area, Inc.

Where Am I From

If you had asked me that a year ago, I would have said, “I’m from southern CT and my ancestors were from Ireland, Scotland and Germany.” However, since then, I’ve had my DNA analyzed by the Genographic Project, a project of National Geographic.

About 150,000 years ago, my people, like most people, started out in East Africa. So some of my ancestors were African, like Jackie Robinson and Ella Fitzgerald and my friend Fay.

Thousands of years later, my people immigrated to Asia, where the countries Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran are. I’m not sure if my ancestors were in this area before or after Islam was created. In either case, some of my ancestors (or their relatives who remained in that area) were Muslim, like Mohammed the Prophet and Malala (the teen from Pakistan who received the Nobel Peace Prize) and my friend Mussarat.

Thousands of years later, my people immigrated to Eastern Europe. Around half of all Jews from that area trace their lineage back to one of four women. My DNA shows that I am descended from three of those four women. So some of my ancestors were Jewish, like Albert Einstein and George Gershwin and my friend Carl.

Thousands of years later, my people immigrated to Western Europe, to the places I knew about – Germany, Ireland and Scotland. I know some of these ancestors were Christian. Finally, a hundred and fifty years ago, my people immigrated to America.

Where am I from?

My ancestors came from four continents: Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. My ancestors were Muslim, Jewish and Christian.

I found that absolutely astonishing - my ancestors were Muslim, Jewish and Christian. It was so astonishing that I initially didn’t tell anyone about it – I needed time to absorb these revelations. Since I started learning about storytelling 20 years ago, I've been drawn to Jewish stories. Through my experiences at the Interfaith Story Circle, I had come to admire greatly Muslims. Now I know and am proud have Muslim and Jewish and Christian ancestry.

I’ve continued to think a lot about this, and I’ve come to two conclusions.

First, I don’t think my lineage is that unusual. I bet that if you had your DNA analyzed, you’d also discover that your ancestors came from several continents and several religious traditions.

Second, I have come to believe that: I am the world. You are the world. We are the world.

PS I WAS RIGHT - this whole group of people discovered that their ancestors came from several continents and several religious traditions.

News about me

Here's an upcoming performance - perfect for a girls day outing on Lake George :-)

I'm also busy helping to raise funds for an extremely worthwhile local project: One Path to World Peace: Youth Storytelling.

Here’s one of the Children at the Well alums, Adah Hetko, telling “Elijah and the Poor Man’s Wish."

At graduation from Oberlin, Adah received the Barrows Medal for Interfaith Leadership. She then received a two year Tanenbaum Fellowship in Inter-Religious Practice at Vassar College.

If you’d like to help other students become leaders for peace and understanding, please donate to this fundraiser so the book about Children at the Well will be published and available to many communities.

We really need your help. Thanks so much in advance.

Thanks for reading this issue. I’ll be sending you some more story highlights in a few months.

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