Finding His Roots

JOANNE: Major funding for BackStory is provided by an anonymous donor, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the University of Virginia, the Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation, and the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

From the Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, this is Back Story. Welcome to BackStory, the show that explains the history behind today’s headlines. I’m Joanne Freeman. If you’re new to the podcast, we’re all historians, and each week Brian Balogh, Ed Ayers, Nathan Conley, and I explore the history of topics that have been in the news.

Today on the show, we’ll be listening to what the American public told FDR’s White House. And I’ll be finding out why historians are increasingly getting their message out 140 characters at a time. But first, we’re going to hear from Justin Reed, the Director of African-American Programs here at Virginia Humanities.

Reed grew up in Farmville, Virginia, where his family has roots dating back to slavery. In 2014, he set out on a personal journey to find the plantation where his ancestors had been enslaved. And when he found it, he wrestled with his feelings about the site.

JUSTIN REED: The drive to Ampthill Plantation, it’s a very– it’s a very beautiful drive. You’re passing through Central Virginia, rolling hills. It’s near the James River. There’s still a lot of farms out there to this day and it’s very pristine.

As I was approaching the house, I’m not really sure what I felt then. I just wanted to see something. I guess I wanted to see if there was any evidence of my family in any structures there. I think I wanted to have a physical place that I could feel rooted in.

And when I got there, I was I was struck by– I don’t know, I hate to say it, but I was struck by how beautiful it was. So I guess at that point, I probably was a little nervous. Because here, I’m just showing up. I’m this black guy, like, I’m here.

And this guy starts approaching me. And I introduced myself– hi, I’m Justin, I’m researching my family’s history, and I believe they’re connected to Ampthill. And he was very gracious. And they told me that his brother-in-law owns it. They recently acquired the property, but they’re descendants of the original owners of Ampthill, and that this is when they might be back, but feel free to look around.

And I remember when he walked off, I just started looking around the house and looking at some of the outbuildings. And I do remember, I broke down in tears. And I started imagining where my family worked, where they may have been. It was an emotional time to be there I think.

Then I came out there a second time when no one was there. And left a note for the Harrison family, the owner today. And then I feel like shortly after that, Randy reached out to me. And we set up a time for me to come back and meet Randy and his wife, Paula.

They were very gracious, and we sat down, and I think we had a glass of water, and we talked. And they gave me a tour of the house and told me they wanted to stay connected. And that was pretty much the extent of our first meeting.

When I was meeting Randy for the first time, I do remember searching his face, because there’s so many stories of enslaved black Virginians being related biologically. I mean, you’re related regardless of whether you’re a descendant or whatever. But you’re related to through the of slavery, but there’s stories of being related by blood.

At that time, I recognized that that could be a possibility. And so I remember trying to see in his face any resemblance to relatives of mine. I do remember that. When I first met Randy, I was asking him questions about records and things, papers they may have.

I know he pulled up his family tree, I guess on Ancestry. He was trying to see what he could pull from those online records. But I think he’s also going through a period in his life where he’s wanting to know more about his family history. And they’re also interested in the history of the enslaved community there as well, which was good to hear.

Our initial meeting could have gone so many different ways. I could have met someone who was in complete denial of this history or somebody who was defensive. I could have met someone who was kind of an apologist for his family’s actions, or even tried to present this narrative of benevolence. There could have been many different routes that this conversation could have taken.

But one thing I appreciated was the fact that Randy was very matter of fact. And he understood the fact that this was a very exploitative economic system. And I appreciated that, because that’s the truth.

What do you do next, once you know this history? How do I interact with Randy and Paula’s children, who are my age? Would it be appropriate for us to have a friendship? Would that be disrespectful to the memory or legacy of my enslaved ancestors? How do we navigate and build a relationship that’s rooted in something that’s so painful?

I think there’s just so many unanswered questions. What if it leads to nothing? What is the final goal? And what if it leads to absolutely nothing? Would that just cause there to be this– I don’t know, like this unresolved hole. I don’t know.

What if it leads to nothing, but then also what if what if it leads to something? I don’t know how to make sense of it all. Different scenarios would be we have a connection, we’re able to form a friendship.

But is that possible? Because in the back of your mind, you understand that your position in life is rooted in this very unequal, unjust history, and essentially the privilege and opportunities that the white Harrisons have had for generations have been at the expense of my family. Would there be festering resentment? Would the hurt bubble up at unexpected times?

Because we’ve only had two interactions to date, I haven’t really broached the issue of slavery and it’s legacy, like those deeper level conversations. But I’d be curious to have a better understanding. There’s a lot of weight behind our interactions. And I’d be fine if it’s awkward. I’d rather it be awkward than to be upset that it doesn’t matter. I want it to matter to them just as much as it matters to me.

JOANNE: Justin Reed is the Director of African-American Programs at Virginia Humanities. This segment originally aired on our sister program, With Good Reason.

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