Should we continue to
discuss and research slavery?
This question has been
a source of controversy. While, some people, both Blacks’ and Whites’ say that
we should not talk about or research slavery, others believe that in order to
conduct sound research, and especially in researching the African American
family that
researching slavery is a necessary tool.
Genealogy is the study
of tracing the lineage and history of families. In order to obtain information about
particular family/families, Genealogist use oral history and historical
records. Genealogy preserves our history, links our past and connects our
future. This connective bond between the past and the future gives family
members a sense of belonging, and a sense of discovery. The key to our future
is unlocking our past. Research is like digging for a buried treasure, finding
gold and becoming rich with knowledge.
Kimberly Powell says in
her article entitled, “Grow your Family Tree in Salt Lake City,” that, “Genealogy
is the fastest growing hobby in North America.” Powell says, “60% of
Americans,” are researching their family tree (http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa011502a.htm).
Powell reports that the Family Search Websites receives over 6 million hits a
day. Powell says that an average of 24,000 people a day, from all over the
world visit the Family Research Library in Utah. (http://genealogy.about.com/library/weekly/aa011502a.htm)
Ancestry.com, with over one million subscriptions, is the largest
online community for genealogy research.
Since, most African
Americans are descendants of African slaves, (enslaved in North America) and
they were deemed as human property, researching African American genealogy is
tedious and sometimes it can be a very frustrating task. Human property/slaves
and freedmen were not included in the United States Federal Census and in other
recorded documents. The vast majority of African Americans’
ancestry cannot be traced past the 1870 United States Federal Census. This
roadblock known as the “brick wall,” occurred because of the institution of slavery,
subsequently, African Americans existed in a political/social context in which
their lineage was not important.
The remnants of the
lost history of a scattered people, torn from their homeland of Africa, can
only be found and recovered by researching, sharing and discussing slavery. If
we bury, this precious treasure, the African American family tree dies at the
root, and we further dismiss and alienate African American genealogy.
Let’s not lay to rest, the
history of slavery in America, but let’s get over the feelings of racism and
prejudice. We can heal and then mend the broken pieces of the family structure
and reunite in brotherhood.
It was emotionally disheartening,
when I discovered my family in 1843 and 1848, slave bills of sale. However, the
joy of finding them was incredible and from that record, I was able to trace my
family tree back to 1785. It was refreshing to learn that, while some applauded
the dogma of slavery, others took the center stage and protested. I discovered
that my ancestors were owned by a family of Quakers and some of them were
granted their freedom. The
Quakers known as “Friends” began to preach against slavery. As a result, the
anti-slavery movement began which led to the covert operations of the
Underground Railroad.
It is imperative in African American genealogy that
we re-visit slavery in America.I also believed that history, no matter how ugly,
should not be buried. Within the darkness there is always light, the story of
humanity is revealed during the dark days.
Ann Lee, author of Human Property Hanging in the Family Tree Yields a Harvest.
Twitter Ann Lee @alee4272
