"It is only natural that we want to find out more about our ancestors," Hatch continued. "What better way to bring families closer together than by discovering more about the story of their own family? Like it or not, who we are today is in large part, a product of our ancestors."

Hatch's resolution (S.R. 175) commemorates October as Family History Month and encourages President Bush to issue a proclamation calling upon the people of the United States to observe the month of October with appropriate ceremonies and activities. A similar resolution was passed by the Senate in September 2001 and September 2002, but October has never been officially proclaimed as Family History Month by President George Bush.

While this resolution gives genealogists across the country cause to celebrate, Family History Month is still NOT official. For the President to issue an official proclamation designating the month of October as Family History Month, it is necessary for Congress to pass a concurrent resolution. In other words, the resolution needs to pass in both the Senate and the House. The reason that we haven't been able to have a Presidential proclamation on Family History Month the past two years is due to the current House leadership's refusal to consider all unnecessary resolutions, with the exception of the resolution to declare September 11 of each year as Patriot Day. The fact that this is an election year has made things even more difficult as all House members (except for those retiring) are up for re-election on November 5, and are in a hurry to get home to hit the campaign trail.

So what can we as genealogists do? You can make the biggest impact by writing a simple letter to your local House representative. Let them know, in your own words, why you think Family History Month is important, and ask them to bring the Family History Month resolution to the House floor in 2003. Representatives do have email, but a hand-written letter has much more impact. It doesn't need to be long, and you shouldn't use a form letter. Just let them know about Senate Resolution 175 and that you want to see it pass in the House as well. Tell them why you think family history is important and thank them for their time and support. Keep it brief and make it personal - remember, 100 individual, personal letters have far more impact that 10,000 cookie cutter form letters. See Tips for Writing to Government Leaders for more suggestions.

As a country, we need to get past being scared and celebrate who we are and where we came from. Family history is a very important part of who we are as individuals and as a nation. It can lead to family reunions, new medical treatments based on genetic links, and a sense of tolerance and understanding of individuals from different religions, cultures and backgrounds. With the exception of Native Americans, our ancestors were all immigrants to this country, coming from different parts of the globe. In the words of Senator Hatch, "By searching for our roots, we come closer together as a human family."

For more information check out our Family History Month Special which includes the full text of Senator Hatch's resolution, articles on researching your family tree, projects for celebrating Family History Month and a schedule of Family History Month events planned around the U.S.