Roots Across the Water:  Reclaim. Research. Restore.

Join Panelists Dr. Gabrielle Hutchins and Kristian Balgobin to explore Caribbean ancestry as an act of cultural preservation, identity building, and intergenerational empowerment. Participants will learn how to research Caribbean family history, preserve ancestral narratives, and document lineage.

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Dr. Gabrielle Hutchins is a scholar of African American, Caribbean and Latin American history with over ten years of professional experience in the field of archival science and public history.With strengths in activism, leadership, education, and organization, Gabrielle pursued her passion by founding Ital Preservation, a public history consulting firm. Her initiatives are making a significant impact on minority based businesses and organizations to help them keep their legacy going, accurately manage, and preserve their histories. As a historian, her mission is to help educate and candidly spread awareness about our history to the community. As an archivist, Dr. Hutchins is meticulously concerned with the accurate documentation and availability of records, files, and collections of various related materials

 

 

 

Kristian Balgobin is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Caribbean Preservation Alliance, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to preserving, promoting, and celebrating the culture and history of the Caribbean islands. He also serves as Manager of Community Engagement at Brooklyn Communities Collaborative, where he leads community-driven initiatives rooted in participatory action and systems change. With a background in public health research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and training in psychology and public health, his work bridges science, culture, and community. Born in Barbados and raised in Brooklyn, Kristian draws on lived experience to center cultural humility, representation, and community-rooted practice. He is also a multidisciplinary artist working under the name Shadow Fruit.Analog, exploring the intersections of diasporic life, freedom, and the Black imagination.

You can find out more on Instagram @caribbeanpreservationalliance or LinkedIn