Brenda Researches the Legacy of Past Generations

Back in 1987, Brenda’s cousin told her a shocking family story of injustice about her grandfather. It was a turning point for Brenda. Since then, she has made it her life’s mission to fill in the missing pieces of her grandfather’s life. The story went something like this:

Born in 1873, Brenda’s grandfather, William, grew up to become a prominent figure in his small southern community. A land-owning and well-educated man of color, people called William “the professor.” He was well respected as a leader at the school he ran and also throughout the town.

News of William’s success as an educator made it all the way to Washington, D.C. He was invited by the president to speak at an assembly of educators on the topic of national education.

When William arrived in Washington, people saw for the first time that the man chosen to speak at a national level was Black. William was turned away, never having the chance to share his thoughts on teaching and learning.

“The whole family has heard parts of this story, but no one knows the whole thing,” Brenda said. “I wanted to uncover his legacy on behalf of our entire family.”

For Brenda, learning more about her grandfather’s experiences held an even deeper personal connection. Brenda grew up to become an educator herself, teaching applied and physical science. She also taught adult education for a time, ran her own company in Nashville for 20 years, and worked at Tennessee State University. Well-respected in her own right, Brenda volunteered as a board member for a Girl Scout council and chaired an advisory council for an organization serving seniors. She’s mentored youth and led a wide range of programs in her church.

But through it all, two generations after her grandfather was turned away from the nation’s capital, Brenda continued to experience racism. She wondered if future generations would have been treated more fairly, if her grandfather had been allowed to speak.

“If my grandaddy had been accepted in Washington, things could have been different for my family,” Brenda reflected. “We were living in poverty. We had some land but that was it. We are still dealing with this—overcoming dark skin and colorism. There is no way out of that. It is systematic.”

Eight years ago, Brenda returned to North Carolina with William’s story still in mind. With help from family members, she began buying back small amounts of acreage that had once belonged to her grandfather. But as the years passed, the land had to be sold off to make ends meet.

Brenda’s deepest desire was to uncover more about her grandfather’s history and share it with the heirs of his nine children, as well as with the broader community he helped build. She conducted her own research over the years with this goal in mind but was not able to find official records to back up family stories about William.

Wish of a Lifetime sent Brenda on a trip to the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina, so she could attempt to fulfill her wish.

Accompanied by her husband, Brenda arrived at IAAM to see a special welcome sign announcing her wish experience. Museum staff greeted the couple and took them on a personal tour of the museum, including 12 permanent exhibitions, nine galleries, and one special exhibition, all dedicated to Black culture and history. Brenda then spent time in the museum’s Center for Family History with its director to try to learn anything she could.

Brenda didn’t find exactly what she’d hoped for, but instead discovered a new piece of her history that she wasn’t expecting. “While I didn’t learn about my granddaddy, I did learn more about my dad’s lineage. I was almost able to trace my daddy’s background into South Carolina. I didn’t get the answers I was looking for, but it put me on the right path.”

The resources provided by IAAM’s Center for Family History gave Brenda direction to continue researching locally once she arrived back home in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

“I have something that I can do now in my own city, and my niece is going to help me to preserve the next generation,” Brenda said. “They also gave me a research page to use so I can explore further. It was a lot of information!”

Brenda described the trip as a “peak life moment,” and can’t wait to continue learning about her family with the new information she has: “I couldn’t have asked for more attention from the museum!”