Gayles son, Charles, lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he attended school. For years, Gayle would dream of one day finding out if what they said was true. They were kin, with one family owning the other. What are some unusual animals that have lived in and around the White House? Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. It started when she was a young girl growing up in 1970s Washington D.C. At the time Jefferson was my favorite president because he'd written the Declaration, and I believed and still believe in the principles put forth in that document, says Gayle. 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. 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.' Little pieces were coming together, but not enough for me to understand how we could have been descended. Then in 2010, while with her son on one of many visits to Monticello, Gayle says, We go on the tour and the guide says, Well, Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson had children together. And I raised my hand as I always did, We're descended from Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson. And the guide says, Well, you're dignitaries, you're family. You have permission to edit this article. For four decades the acclaimed journalist and genealogy enthusiast researched her connection to Thomas Jefferson, to confirm its truth once and for all. It was reported in the Richmond newspaper that Jefferson had relations with an enslaved woman, Dusky Sally, she was called. An insatiable desire to learn her familys story landed Gayle Jessup White at Monticello, a place she describes as the epicenter of the American paradox.. I needed to know that to feel whole. Gayle Jessup White spent four decades of her life exploring her connection to Thomas Jefferson, a passion born out of her family's oral history that they were his direct descendants. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. She's a native Charlottean. 137 Kindle Edition $1499 Customers Also Bought Items By They survived. Williams: 'My story is their story, too': Gayle Jessup White, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, reclaims her heritage. But Richmonds proximity to Monticello was fortuitous. She is the author of the book, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy. With Cinders help, Gayles four decades of research would soon culminate: Thomas Jefferson was her 5-times great grandfather, and Sally Hemings, her 4-times great aunt. In the book, she describes their horror upon driving down Monument Avenue and seeing its Confederate statues. [Her feats] required superhuman persistence. BookPage. What was the breakthrough in public acceptance of the fact that Thomas Jefferson - and now we're finding out that any number of Founding Fathers also had Black families. By Because my story is their story, too.. When an ultrasound reveals no movement and barely a heartbeat, they fear for their babys life. "Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.". Zillow Group is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. And then, of course, these stories were reported back when Jefferson was president back in 1801. As she desperately prays for healing, hear the message she receives from God on todays A woman receives an answer to a prayer she never wanted to pray. 10007, providing information about the products of HarperCollins and its affiliates. She says, I always felt that if I could determine my ties to Jefferson, I could find out more about my family. The man's famil. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our web experience for everyone, and we welcome feedback and accommodation requests. A Black descendent of Thomas Jefferson and employee at Monticello, author Gayle Jessup White examined the legacies of her ancestors and the current racial. We have more in common than not. We have the documentary evidence because every time Jefferson returned home from being in Washington during his administration as president, Sally Hemings would have a baby nine months later. Gayle Jessup White is a communications consultant, writer, and realtor. ortraits by Rembrandt Peale, left, and. It is my heartfelt wish that when people finish this story, they understand better the contribution of our ancestors, our enslaved ancestors and those that followed them their endurance, their strength, their character and their resilience. I didnt have an epiphany. And they were the only Blacks there. 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. ADRIAN FLORIDO,. policy. Her very personal chronicle of a decades-long search for her family's connection to Jefferson and Monticello began with a thread of a story from an elderly relative who . Brokerage. JESSUP WHITE: Well the person who told my sister this was a woman in the family called Aunt Peachie (ph). She is also a member the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society and serves on the Poplar Forest African American Advisory Group. And I've found my wholeness., A wholeness she hopes all Americans will soon share. She was thirteen when her sister shared a bit of family lore regarding the main author of the Declaration of Independencethey were related. If we are going to heal as a country then we have to be honest about our complicated history, and it is very complicated and it's very painful. Plus, two long lost cousins A woman prays to her Hindu gods for healing, but gets no response. And the whole room went into shock, she said. Jefferson kept copious notes, so that's how we know that. ALBEMARLE Gayle Jessup White spent four decades of her life exploring her connection to Thomas Jefferson, a passion born out of her family's oral history that they were his direct. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. A former award-winning television reporter and anchor, Gayle started her career at the New York Times. REQUESTS, https://d2wawpwx3aybf6.cloudfront.net/hc-audio/9780063028685.mp3, privacy Her family tree traces back to Thomas Jefferson, our third president. Its an American story.. The other thing that's really become interesting to me is that it wasn't just Jefferson and Sally Hemings that had relations. She has written and spoken extensively about her work at Monticello, the legacies of slavery, and her familys contributions to American history. For Gayle Jessup White, landing the job of Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer at Thomas Jefferson's historic home, Monticello, was more than . So the point here is to acknowledge that these families were entangled. It was in 2016 that Gayle came on-staff at Monticello, educating the public about the legacy the good and the bad of one of Americas Founding Fathers. We are here to help and encourage you! 1 ranking in country. Using television and the Internet, CBN is proclaiming the Good News in 149 countries and territories, with programs and content in 67 languages. 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. Aunt Peachie was given to old wives tales, but the one thing that my sister believed that she said repeatedly was that you're descended from Thomas Jefferson, she would say. We cant become what we want to be, individually and collectively, if we dont know who we are. And my sister, who's a very elegant woman, was at a dinner party with her husband. MARTIN: How do you reconcile for yourself those contradictions which live in you? God made it possible for you to know. 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Bakari Sellers, New York Times best-selling author ofMy Vanishing Country, In her quest to discover the truth behind her family's oral legend of its connection to Thomas Jefferson, Gayle Jessup White reveals the truth of our national history: that 'white' and 'black' are inextricably bound by blood and heritage. CONNECT: And so we had the DNA evidence. From First Lady Dolley Madison's sister Lucy Payne Washington's wedding in 1812 to the nuptials of President Joseph Biden and First A State Dinner honoring a visiting head of government or reigning monarch is one of the grandest and most glamorous On January 20, 1969, Richard Nixon was inaugurated as the thirty-seventh president of the United States. Time. If you have any questions, please review our privacy 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. The Making of Presidents' and First Ladies' Portraits. Are you an author? Booklist, "Jessup White tells a story that will be meaningful to many readers. Did any presidents live elsewhere during their administrations? As Gayle followed her own leads, DNA research confirmed the long-told rumor that Jefferson had children with an enslaved woman named Sally Hemings. Did any presidents live elsewhere during their administrations? And she heard it from her over and over and over again for the 20 years she lived with our family. Unlike previous guides, this one took an interest in Gayles story, and connected her with Monticello historian, Cinder Stanton. Doing so, will help contribute to a better Americaand, yes, a better world for all who live in it." About the Author Gayle Jessup White is a third generation Washingtonian whose lineage extends as far back as the indigenous people who inhabited the Chesapeake area before the . . will be especially interesting to amateur genealogists. View the profiles of people named Gayle Jessup White. A Black descendent of Thomas Jefferson and employee at Monticello, author Gayle Jessup White examined the legacies of her ancestors and the current racial. This doesnt make sense to me. All Daddy said to me was, That's what they say. Gayle serves on Virginias Citizens Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion, where she is founding chair of the Descendant Committee. The backdrop for the early part of Whites story is Black, middle-class Washington. Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY by Gayle Jessup White On Sale: 11/16/2021 Format: Price: $14.99 DESK & EXAM REQUESTS PURCHASE AT HC.com Book Overview Author Info About the Book A Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings' family explores America's racial reckoning through the prism of her ancestorsboth the enslaver and the enslaved. 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