How had she heard this? Zillow, Inc. holds real estate brokerage licenses in multiple states. Getting Word has significantly changed the interpretation of African-American life during enslavement under Thomas Jefferson. In 1993, the Getting Word oral history project at Jeffersons Monticello plantation began identifying descendants and recording their oral histories. She is currently the Foundations public relations & community engagement officer. They were strong. In a 2018 article for Smithsonian magazine, Davenport wrote, The research that has come out of the 25 years of Getting Words existence has in many ways been the invisible hand behind the visitor experience at Monticello where about 400 enslaved laborers worked at one point in their lives.. My dad was 6'2", had red hair and freckles. He is currently a research assistant with the Georgetown Slavery Archive. on his fathers side but also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter They were able to pass down character, dignity, strength, humanity, love, joy, pain, resilience, to their descendants. Her American roots are in Virginia going back to the Jamestown settlement, and in Maryland. Gayle Jessup White is the Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer at Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's legendary estate. EPUB She says, I recognize Jefferson now as being a human being. I didnt have an epiphany. The other thing that's really become interesting to me is that it wasn't just Jefferson and Sally Hemings that had relations. EPUB Details. She was thirteen when her sister shared a bit of family lore regarding the main author of the Declaration of Independencethey were related. For four decades the acclaimed journalist and genealogy enthusiast researched her connection to Thomas Jefferson, to confirm its truth once and for all. Booklist, "Jessup White tells a story that will be meaningful to many readers. Pastors Rooftop Mission to Save Chicagos Southside, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy, Former NBC Exec on Overcoming Overwhelming Tragedy. Leslie Greene Bowman, president of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, lauded White and Reclamation during a Nov. 16 book launch event at Monticello. Hardcover 1 ranking in country. Write this story. . NPR's Michel Martin discussed the book with Jessup White, who describes herself as the five times great-granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson. You could only hear the silver touching the china. . I needed to know that to feel whole. Shes written and spoken extensively about her work at Monticello. Digital Audiobook Unabridged We have more in common than not. submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email I work at giving attention to those who never had it. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. I just felt the energy and the urgency from our ancestors to tell this story, White said during a recent interview as she headed to Washington for an appearance on CNN. A combination memoir, genealogy, and history by Gayle Jessup White reads fast as fiction unless you take time to absorb the impact slavery and family secrets have on American families, black or white. though others did not. NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Gayle Jessup White about her book, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy. Copyright 2023 HarperCollins Publishers. The Making of Presidents' and First Ladies' Portraits. GAYLE JESSUP WHITE: I heard it from my oldest sister, who's about 20 years older than I am. I didn't know her. They were treated as possessions. Its an American story.. But it is also of great interest in general. This program was held at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our web experience for everyone, and we welcome feedback and accommodation requests. A former award-winning television reporter and anchor, Gayle started her career at the New York Times. And my sister was a little girl when she first heard this from Aunt Peachie. And so it's not as if people didn't know, they did back then. What are some unusual animals that have lived in and around the White House? A woman is diagnosed with cancer and its spreading quickly. Trade PB, Format: John Marshall boys basketball reclaims No. Our Facebook Live series, White House History Live, delves into the history of the Executive Mansion as well as the stories of the people who lived and worked there. But after years of detective work, aided by advances in DNA technology, she was finally able to piece together her family's past. Davenport researched Getting Word while a Robert H. Smith Fellow at the International Center for Jefferson Studies in July 2017, and recently served as an adjunct professor of African American Art History at Fairfield University. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Gayle Jessup White talks with Karen about her book, "Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy.. Our Facebook Live series, White House Biographer Jeffrey Frank discusses his new book on Harry Truman. Indeed, it is a homecoming for us all. Cheryl Wills, Emmy Award-winning journalist and author ofThe Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills, "From a girl of Black middle-class privilege to a politically charged race woman driven to unearth the truth of her ancestry, Gayle Jessup White takes us on a journey of self-discovery. But Richmonds proximity to Monticello was fortuitous. A former award-winning television reporter and anchor, Jessup White started her career at the New York Times. So were really happy to be here., Having finished this book, she feels whole, gratified and moved by what she called a remarkable journey., The most amazing part for me has been getting the story told. Her discoveries there opened a window into who her ancestors were: overcomers who helped build America while being oppressed by slavery. Read full bio Most Popular Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's . 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You may unsubscribe from these email And she announced that we're descended from Thomas Jefferson. That history is deeply personal to Gayle Jessup White. Top Stories, 1073 North Benson Road Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! Living the Christian life is a journey. will be especially interesting to amateur genealogists. And my sister, who's a very elegant woman, was at a dinner party with her husband. White has written and spoken extensively about her work at Monticello and about her familys ties to Jefferson, his extended family, and the enslaved community. For Gayle Jessup White, landing the job of Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer at Thomas Jefferson's historic home, Monticello, was more than . Gayles son, Charles, lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he attended school. We, like many Americans, are sometimes unaware of those blind spots, and like our nation, we need to face them and change., Bowman called the book an important one for Monticello and for our country as we work to tell a more honest and complicated history of our past.. She says, We are one people. Join Facebook to connect with Gayle Jessup White and others you may know. It serves at a metaphor not just for my family, Gayle says, but for Black families in America to understand - and for all people to acknowledge - that our ancestors helped build this country. In the book, she describes their horror upon driving down Monument Avenue and seeing its Confederate statues. Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from . What makes the Justices so elite? Executive Mansion as well as the stories of the people who lived and worked JESSUP WHITE: Well the person who told my sister this was a woman in the family called Aunt Peachie (ph). She is a direct Jefferson descendant, and is also related to two well-documented families enslaved at Monticellothe Hemingses and the Hubbards. Its not the same place it was when we moved down here. She lives in Virginia. Facebook Live series, White House History Live, delves into the history of the MARTIN: Why do you think it is that you - there was a part of you that always believed it and just had faith in it. A graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio, he received a masters degree in American Studies from Fairfield University and is currently pursing his doctorate in U.S. history at Georgetown University. Little pieces were coming together, but not enough for me to understand how we could have been descended. They were kin, with one family owning the other. Gayle explains, I'm actually descended from her brother, Peter Hemings, who was a cook at Monticello. it was that one link. Fairfield Universitys Open VISIONS Forum (OVF) will host a compelling and timely discussion on racism, politics, power, and slavery at the Quick Center on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 at 8 p.m. Gayle says, Im proud of my relatives who were enslaved because they were up against so much. A Guide to Reducing Your Health Care Costs, Breaking Barriers: Challenges and opportunities for Latino students, EQUALibrium: An exploration of race and equity in Charlotte, Falling short: Why Democrats keep losing most statewide races, EQUALibrium Live: Conversations on Race & Equity, WFAE 2023 TINDOL SUBARU CROSSTREK RAFFLE, NPR's Founding Mothers In Conversation With WFAE's Lisa Worf, Journalist Stephanie Foo's memoir 'What My Bones Know' shares story of healing from childhood trauma, What widespread legal sports betting would mean for North Carolina, Local News Roundup: NC House votes to end pistol permit requirements; Neighborhood Theatre building sold; Ella Scarborough honored; warm winter temps. She's a native Charlottean. If you wish to report an issue or seek an accommodation, please let us know. And they were the only Blacks there. Gayle Jessup White is the first public relations and community engagement officer at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the nonprofit that owns and operates Monticello. Whites relentless pursuit of her family lore led her to a fellowship at the International Center for Jefferson Studies and, ultimately, as Monticellos first community engagement officer. JESSUP WHITE: Well, I feel that I was actually called to do this work. A Black descendent of Thomas Jefferson and employee at Monticello, author Gayle Jessup White examined the legacies of her ancestors and the current racial. Audrey Edwards, author of American Runaway: Black and Free in Paris in the Trump Years, "Thanks to Gayle Jessup White who sometimes feels 'battle scarred after another day spent fighting for equal recognitionof Black Historythat for many is an afterthought.' As she walks the grounds of Monticello, Gayle Jessup White tells the story of those who once lived there - the enslaver, Thomas Jefferson, who enslaved more than 600 people, and the enslaved families he forced to work there. Erin Keever is Senior Producer of WFAE'sCharlotte Talks with Mike Collins. They were tough. Her international lineage is principally Nigerian and British. Two years later, she joined the staff as Community Engagement Officer, becoming a principal spokesperson and the first descendant of Jefferson and the families he enslaved to work for the Foundation. "Shes a totally charming and frank memoirist, and I loved her candid, sometimes difficult to read story,"--Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind on the Best December 2021 Books Today Show. . White is related to both families. It was four generations of the Jefferson and Hemings families. What are the dimensions of the White House? Gayle Jessup White tells the fascinating story in her new book, "Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy.". I feel that the ancestors pulled me out of my hometown, my beloved hometown, Washington, D.C., to come to Richmond Virginia, which is just 70 miles from Charlottesville, so that I could become a vehicle for them, so that I could express as well as I possibly could what they were not able to. *This is a promotional service of HarperCollins It would behoove all of us to be as curious about our heritage as White. A Washington, DC native, Gayle and her family moved to Richmond in 2006. Hardcover 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. It also traces back to Sally Hemings, Jefferson's slave who . Thousands of Images covering the History of the White House, Official White House Ornaments, Books & More, White House History Live: Reclamation with Gayle Jessup White. They weren't even considered human beings. On the other hand he gave us those soaring words that I amend to say All humans are created equal that have served as inspiration for hundreds of years now, for people to fight for their freedom and liberty, and justice for all. We are here to help and encourage you! The Making of Presidents' and First Ladies' Portraits. And that's the story I heard my sister share with my dad when I was a 13-year-old girl growing up in Washington, D.C. MICHEL MARTIN, BYLINE: So you had no knowledge of this until she brought it - how did she know about this? There are times when her honest accounting of her experience has taught us about our blind spots, she said of White. I mean, the fact that your ancestors owned and in many ways mistreated horribly some of your other ancestors, and that contradiction lives in you. Television reporter and anchor, gayle and her family moved to Richmond in 2006 we are continuously working to the. 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