Sixth Union, the next Melungeon gathering, will be held June 8-10, at the Civic Auditorium in Kingsport, Tennessee. David Arnett, former U. S. General Consul to Turkey and a Melungeon descendent, will speak at this event.

The event had originally been planned for April. As much as we dislike making a significant change in the date of Sixth Union, we found that we have no choice. Of course, Brent Kennedy’s illness has been a great concern to all of us in the Melungeon Heritage Association, but we are determined to proceed with the event even though it is unlikely Brent will be able to join us. However, there was a scheduling mix-up for the Kingsport Civic Auditorium, and the earliest date we could arrange was in June. We hope this will not cause any inconvenience for those planning to attend in April.

We are looking forward to an outstanding lineup of presenters. Besides Mr. Arnett, we look forward to presentations from authors and presentations from authors and researchers Evelyn Orr, DruAnna Overbay, Kathy Lyday-Lee, Elizabeth Hirschman, Wayne Winkler, A. D. Powell, Frank and Mary Sweet, Gwendolyn Higdon, Cheryl Holloway, Ted Klein, and others to be announced soon. More information will be posted on this website soon. For information about Kingsport, transportation, lodging, etc., contact the Kingsport Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.kcvb.org. For questions about the Union, contact Wayne Winkler at winklerw@etsu.edu