A recent visit to Holly Springs, Miss., brought a surprising discovery for one woman. The city, once a center of the cotton trade, turned out to be where her enslaved ancestors had lived. Despite having extensive knowledge of her Jewish maternal family, her Black paternal family had always been a mystery. Armed with a family tree dating back to 1824 and the location provided by a newfound cousin, she set out to explore her ancestral home.
Upon arriving in Holly Springs, attempts to find public records at City Hall proved unsuccessful. A visit to the Ida B. Wells Museum led her to a small building with a simple “Museum” sign, run by a white man in a city with a majority Black population. Despite initial surprise, she proceeded with her mission to learn more about her roots.
The museum, filled with sunlight and dust-covered glass countertops, felt more like a private home than a formal institution. The visitor’s well-rehearsed mission statement helped her engage with the proprietor and begin her search for information about her ancestors.
In a surprising turn of events, the journey to Holly Springs not only shed light on her family history but also challenged preconceived biases and assumptions. The visit to the museum dedicated to Ida B. Wells, a prominent Black figure, highlighted the complexities of race, heritage, and history in the deep south. This unexpected encounter emphasized the importance of understanding and embracing all facets of one’s identity and history.
Source
Photo credit www.nytimes.com
