In celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, I am announcing a series of articles about families in Alexandria, VA, who have lived here for over 250 years. The articles will appear in my column, “The Other Alexandria,” in the Alexandria Gazette, with behind-the-scenes content on this blog.
Check out this article in the Alexandria Gazette, dated July 16th, titled “What Does the 250th Anniversary Mean to This African American?”
It has been close to 25 years since I did an interview with Ellis Island in New York. It brings back so many memories for me. My great-grandmother’s cousin, Lazarus Bates, a former principal in Halifax, VA, was included in this interview. For the very first time, he revealed that his grandfather was born into slavery. He witnessed the scars on his grandfather’s back when Lazarus was a small child. These scars were inflicted by his grandfather’s master. Cousin Bates is no longer with us, but he left my family and me with one of the greatest gifts, the story of our ancestors, who were born enslaved.
https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/view-user-familyhistory/czoyOiIyOCI7/czowOiIiOw==/czowOiIiOw==
theotheralexandria 