Reem Awad-Rashmawi
Reem Awad-Rashmawi is an immigration attorney, professional genealogist, and personal/community historian.
Interested in law and human rights from a young age, Reem opened her law office in 1997, focusing on immigration law. She has over 25 years experience representing individuals from around the world in immigration related matters and is familiar with historic US immigration laws.
In the 1980’s, Reem began researching her family history and documenting it through oral history and photography. Between her father’s Palestinian-American immigrant background, with family remaining primarily in a town near Jerusalem, and her mother’s family, riddled throughout US history since the late 1600’s, Reem’s personal research journey gave her extensive experience in genealogical research. In 2019, Reem decided to pursue her interest in genealogy and documenting family histories professionally and opened Photographs and Memories by Reem.
Reem uses oral history, online & in-person document research, genetic genealogy (DNA) analysis and photography to help others discover & share their family histories. She also is trained in forensic genealogy for missing or unknown heirs in probate cases and unknown parentage in adoption and misattributed kinship cases.
Reem received a Certificate in Genealogical Research from Boston University in August 2019 (BU OL30) and is a ProGen 49 alum. She completed several genealogical institute courses and is also currently working on a long-term community history project focused on the Arab-American community in Northern California. Reem has given presentations at societies and conferences nationwide and is available to speak on genealogy and oral history related topics.
