As the director of The African American Museum in Evansville Indiana, Ashley Jordan seeks to preserve and educate the community on the often overlooked and forgotten history of the oppressed. If we don’t remember our past we are doomed to forget it. Through recounting local and national stories that have been whitewashed over time, we are taken on a journey that proves in a real sense that all life is inter-related. All people are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. In order for us to have life we must have roots. Dr. Ashley Jordan is the Executive Director for the Evansville African American Museum in Evansville, Indiana. Prior to serving in this role, she served as the curator for the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, as well as the National Afro-American Museum & Cultural Center in Wilberforce, Ohio. She has also served as an adjunct professor for North Central State College in Mansfield, Ohio. In May of 2017, Dr. Jordan graduated with her doctorate in United States History from Howard University. She completed her undergraduate degree at Kent State University and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history with a minor in political science in 2008. Dr. Jordan is also the proud recipient of numerous professional, academic and civic awards including the Pace Setter Award from the Association of African American Museums, a multiple doctoral fellowship recipient for the Filson and the Kentucky Historical Societies and the Black Excellence Award from the NAACP. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx