Marlee Matlin’s accomplishments range from the cinematic to the literary.
In 1987, at age 21, she became the first deaf person to ever win an Academy Award. The honor also made her the youngest woman to ever win Best Actress, a record she still holds.
Additionally, Matlin is a Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated actress known for her roles in popular TV shows, and she’s the author of four books, including a New York Times-bestselling memoir.
“In my career, I’ve had the privilege of being visible in spaces where deaf people were once excluded, of talking about the importance of recognizing that language deprivation exists,” Matlin said in sign language as an interpreter translated. “That’s why I knew so little about my own family history. But, you know, that could all change. And what you’re doing today achieves that.”
Matlin shared her perspectives and experiences during the opening keynote session of RootsTech 2026 on Thursday, March 5.
She was preceded by Steve Rockwood, president and CEO of FamilySearch International; his cousin Jennifer Rockwood, who is the head coach for Brigham Young University’s women’s soccer team; and Howard Hochhauser, the CEO of Ancestry.com.
RootsTech is a three-day global online and in-person family celebration conference hosted by FamilySearch International and is sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other leading genealogy organizations. It is the world’s largest genealogy event, featuring keynote speakers, hundreds of classes and new technologies. Last year’s conference drew millions of participants from over 200 countries and territories.
The 2026 event is March 5-7, with an in-person event in Salt Lake City and online at RootsTech.org. The event features hundreds of classes, an expo hall, keynote speakers and select content available in multiple languages.
In his remarks, Steve Rockwood discussed with Jennifer Rockwood how a soccer team exemplifies the RootsTech 2026 theme of “Together.” For instance, he said, archivists and historians are like goalkeepers, defending and protecting the past. Census takers, photographers and digitizers are like midfielders, connecting plays by linking the past to the present. Genealogists and technology providers are like forwards, advancing information down the field and converting it into a goal.
And just like soccer is a global sport, family history is a global effort, Steve Rockwood said.
“Every culture has ancestors. Every nation keeps records. Every family has stories,” he said. “And everywhere in the world, when someone discovers who they are and where they come from, the feeling of joy is universal.”
Inclusion and belonging
Matlin’s remarks also addressed the universality of family history work, particularly the importance of inclusion. Matlin said inclusion isn’t just a social value but a “historical responsibility.”
As a deaf person, she’s often thought about how easy it is for people like her to disappear from the historical record, not because they didn’t love, work, dream and contribute, but because their stories weren’t always documented in ways that made them visible.
When families search their roots, they’re looking for connection and belonging, Matlin continued. But if certain ancestors are missing — people with disabilities, immigrants who didn’t speak the dominant language, women whose names changed or relatives whose identities didn’t fit social norms of their time — then the tree is incomplete.
“If researchers don’t understand that context, they might overlook key records or misunderstand a life story,” Matlin said. “Inclusion means learning to read records with empathy. It means asking different questions.”
Inclusion also means accessibility, Matlin said. In family history, this means platforms, archives and events must be accessible; this in turn means captioning videos, hiring sign language interpreters and providing other resources that allow everyone to participate.
“When access barriers exist, they don’t just prevent participation. They send a message about who belongs,” Matlin said. “And belonging is exactly what family history is all about.”
Now, technology is creating new opportunities to include people of all races, cultures and other identities, Matlin said. For instance, digitization can allow for the preservation of fragile records, artificial intelligence can help index handwritten documents, and global collaboration can connect distant relatives across continents.
“We need to invite people not just to consume history but to contribute to it,” Matlin said. “FamilySearch is uniquely positioned to lead in this area because you are not just building a database, you are building a living network of memory. … And sometimes, the most meaningful discoveries aren’t the grand ones, not the royalty or the famous figures, but the quiet resilience of ordinary people whose lives made ours possible.”
