Stop Searching for Your People — They’re Everywhere. Spoiler
15th to 50th Cousins Movement – Action Steps
1. Watch the Film
- Visit iambernie.com and watch The Weight of Memory: I Am Bernie Furshpan.
- Share your reflections: What did you learn about empathy, memory, and our shared human roots?
2. Send the Song Outward
- Share this song with your school, community center, or organization:
“15th to 50th Cousins” YouTube link
- Ask teachers, leaders, and organizers to play it during assemblies, events, or discussions about unity and diversity.
- Share the cousin message in sermons, bulletins, and newsletters. Connect it to compassion & unity
3. Social Media Actions
- Share the Song: Post the link with a caption like:
“Did you know you and I are 15th to 50th cousins? Let’s act like family. Post it with #15thto50th
- Sing Your Part: Record yourself singing your favorite line or chorus. Tag two friends to keep the chain going.
- Reaction Challenge: Tell someone they’re your “15th to 50th cousin” and capture their reaction on video. Post it with #HiCousin.
4. Support & Spread the Word
- Show your kinship pride. Grab some 15th to 50th merchandise here: 15thto50th.com/store
- Every shirt, cap, or mug you wear becomes a conversation starter.
- Proceeds go back into spreading empathy, education, and unity.
Cooperative Endorsements: Building a Shared Movement
At 15th to 50th, we believe the call to reimagine humanity is too big for any one organization to carry alone. Our strength lies in collaboration, partnering with other institutions, nonprofits, schools, and movements that share our vision of empathy, science, and unity. This includes engaging communities through initiatives like the Cousin Challenge, where we encourage family reunions that celebrate our shared connections.
We are positioned at the tip of the spear of a movement that sees humanity through two powerful lenses:
- The Microworld of Genetics – reminding us that at the most fundamental biological level, we are nearly identical, connected as kin from the 15th to the 50th cousin and beyond.
- The Larger Planetary View – recognizing that on this spinning sphere we call home, we are bound together by shared resources, shared responsibilities, and a shared future.
Through cooperative endorsements and aligned action, 15th to 50th seeks to connect the dots between mission-driven organizations and amplify the common message: We can do better. We will do better. Together. Our social media actions help to spread this idea to classrooms, community centers, houses of worship, civic halls, and beyond, building momentum for a new narrative of global kinship.
This is not just about supporting a project. It’s about fueling a movement of shared humanity, one that dares to see the bigger picture and act on it.
This music video captures the profound truth that we are all connected—15th to 50th cousins in the great human family. Its message of empathy, memory, and resilience resonates deeply. It is a call to heal, to do better, and to recognize our shared humanity.
Sophal Ear, Cambodian-American Scholar, and Author
Bernie Furshpan's music video is a warm and wonderful testament to our beautiful human family. He inspires us to embrace one another with love and joy, with a vision of peace.
Ellen Kennedy, World Without Genocide
