69-year-old suffers stroke in his N.C. home; Realtor showing house leaves him there. It behooves us all to know that history. [a] timely, relevant, and important book." She has traced her ancestry to Jefferson and two families that were enslaved at his estate, Monticello. She says, I recognize Jefferson now as being a human being. GAYLE JESSUP WHITE: I heard it from my oldest sister, who's about 20 years older than I am. Jefferson was 6'2", had red hair and freckles. The trademarks MLS, Multiple Listing Service and the associated logos are owned by CREA and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. She's a native Charlottean. You have permission to edit this article. helps rewrite the estate's well-known narrative to include the hundreds of enslaved people who worked for Jefferson. (203) 254-4000. Share your prayer requests, receive prayer and pray for others! Trade PB, Format: Why do you think that was, that there's something about it that stuck with you? Details. How are we doing? . 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg, PublishedNovember 10, 2021 at 9:00 AM EST. Along the way, she learned more about her connections to Jefferson and Hemings through research and DNA testing, with an assist from Lucia Cinder Stanton, the groundbreaking Monticello historian who has published several books on the history of slavery there. Tuesday. Gayle Jessup White began her career at The New York Times and was an award-winning TV reporter before becoming Monticellos first community engagement officer in 2016. We are here to help and encourage you! Time: 8 p.m. And she decided to challenge the guests at the table with her own lineage. And so it's not as if people didn't know, they did back then. JESSUP WHITE: Frankly, I think it was DNA evidence. CONNECT: The conversation focuses on Trumans unexpected ascension to the pr Has the White House ever been renovated or changed? Her 30-year career includes pubic relations, news reporting and anchoring, and public speaking. JESSUP WHITE: Well, it really is representative of who we are as Americans and how we've at times mistreated each other. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Her curiosity about how her Black family could be related to Jefferson drove her to study her familys genealogy. 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. White is related to both families. Top Stories, 1073 North Benson Road Little pieces were coming together, but not enough for me to understand how we could have been descended. The other thing that's really become interesting to me is that it wasn't just Jefferson and Sally Hemings that had relations. Poring through photos and documents and pursuing DNA evidence, she learned that not only was she a descendant of Jefferson on his fathers side; she was also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Sally Hemingss brother. What makes the Justices so elite? CBN is a global ministry committed to preparing the nations of the world for the coming of Jesus Christ through mass media. The backdrop for the early part of Whites story is Black, middle-class Washington. 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. 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. Her discoveries there opened a window into who her ancestors were: overcomers who helped build America while being oppressed by slavery. 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. Sign up for our newsletter to keep reading. Zillow, Inc. holds real estate brokerage licenses in multiple states. 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. Facebook Live series, White House History Live, delves into the history of the The man's famil. 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. View the profiles of people named Gayle Jessup White. She attended the citys private and public schools and attended Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. 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. It was just enough information out there to keep me aware of the possibility. Its not the same place it was when we moved down here. Fairfield, Connecticut 06824 This browser is no longer supported. 137 Kindle Edition $1499 Customers Also Bought Items By REQUESTS, https://d2wawpwx3aybf6.cloudfront.net/hc-audio/9780063028685.mp3, privacy How had she heard this? It also traces back to Sally Hemings, Jefferson's slave who . Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years. 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. 5:30pm. Classroom Resource Packet: Slavery, Freedom, and the White HouseJames Madison's Montpelier: Fate in the BalanceThe Enslaved Household of Dr. Kimberly Chrisman-Campbell, author of "Red, White and Blue on the Runway: The 1968 White House Fashion Show and the Politics Join historian and Pat Nixon biographer Heath Lee and former Nixon White House staffer Barbara Franklin as they discuss the Join us in learning more about White House History right from your own home. So you might find information about them on tax records, on wills, but you won't find them in the census record for the most part until 1870. Gayles son, Charles, lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he attended school. If anything, Reclamation demonstrates how illusory and yes, paradoxical American identity can be. ortraits by Rembrandt Peale, left, and. And Sallie Hemmans Whites great-great-grandmother was the daughter of Peter Hemings, an older brother of Sally Hemings. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Essence, "One of November's Eagerly Anticipated Reads" Ms. magazine, Gayle Jessup Whites multilayered autobiography . Charlayne Hunter Gault, Armed with her newfound familial truth, the author . Gayle Jessup White began her career at The New York Times and was an award-winning TV reporter before becoming Monticello's first community engagement officer in 2016. Unlike previous guides, this one took an interest in Gayles story, and connected her with Monticello historian, Cinder Stanton. Trade PB. She is not only a direct Jefferson descendant, but is related to two well-documented families enslaved at Monticello the Hemingses and the Hubbards. Gayle Jessup White, author of Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy. She is the public relations and community engagement officer at Monticello. Whites story is singular, yet somehow pervasive the most honest of American narratives. Its a story of people who in ways big and small resisted their circumstances, laid a foundation for their families, and contributed to their nation, she said. After a 25-year career in communications, Gayle seized the opportunity to pursue her passion, history, beginning as an educator at Richmonds Valentine Museum, and ultimately landing a position at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the non-profit organization that owns and operates Monticello, her ancestral home. She left the Times for Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism, earning a Master of Science in Journalism. 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. What are some unusual animals that have lived in and around the White House? Her American roots are in Virginia going back to the Jamestown settlement, and in Maryland. Through her account, the author fleshes out many of the genealogical questions concerning Jefferson that have emerged in recent decades." Her new book, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, And A Descendant's Search For Her Family's Lasting Legacy," is out now. 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 . Gayle Jessup White of Henrico County, a descendant of the Jefferson and Hemings families, and the PR and community engagement officer at Monticello, stands on Mulberry Row, the homes main plantation street. 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.. For listings in Canada, the trademarks REALTOR, REALTORS, and the REALTOR logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. They were tough. MARTIN: I want to mention that you are now working at Monticello, which must be a kind of a head-snapping experience. We are continuously working to improve the accessibility of our web experience for everyone, and we welcome feedback and accommodation requests. Everyone at the table at the party was discussing their lineage with great pride. And I've found my wholeness., A wholeness she hopes all Americans will soon share. I'm not, but you are. 1 ranking in country. I grew up as a Black American and proud of it. Back in 1998, there was a study called The Foster study which proved that the nephews of Jefferson whom the family had claimed had fathered children with Sally Hemings could not have been the father of her children. though others did not. Discover God's peace now. Open VISIONS Forum: Gayle Jessup White and Andrew M. Davenport MA'17 A Report from Monticello: Restoring African American Narratives to Thomas Jeffersons Plantation", Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2020 How do you think about that? That's my job. But more important, as I began to understand the history, being descended from the people he enslaved and knowing who they were became a more important part of my identity.. Because my story is their story, too.. "I couldn't put together in my 13-year-old mind how a little Black kid growing up in Washington, D.C. could be related to the third . White discovered she is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Sally Hemings brother. I found not just the history, but I found my family. America has been undergoing a great reconciliation in which the sins of our past are being brought into the light. With tax cuts unresolved, his session wins included movement on workforce development and his losses included the 15-week abortion bill. Write this story. . . So that I'm able to work at Monticello, that I'm able to accentuate because I'm a physical presence of who those people who were in prison there were, then it is the greatest privilege and honor of my life to be able to do so. It is my right and the right of every descendant of enslaved people to claim their stake in America.. Zillow Group is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for individuals with disabilities. It would behoove all of us to be as curious about our heritage as White. I work at giving attention to those who never had it. We are reconsidering how we remember the institution of slavery, and that includes the historical figures from that period. 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. 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. God made it possible for you to know. Her international lineage is principally Nigerian and British. And so I don't work at reconciling who my white ancestors were and who my Black ancestors were. And my sister, who's a very elegant woman, was at a dinner party with her husband. She was thirteen when her sister shared a bit of family lore regarding the main author of the Declaration of Independencethey were related. So the point here is to acknowledge that these families were entangled. Gayle Jessup White is the author of the upcoming book, "Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy.". . Send us comments about our Author Pages. policy or email us at on his fathers side but also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Andrew M. Davenport, a 2008 graduate of Fairfield College Preparatory School is a writer, editor, and teacher. 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. . 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.". She began at the Foundation in 2014 as a Robert H. Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies fellow, combing through old letters, documents, and records for clues to her familys past. as a Jefferson descendant. 01/10/2023. And they were the only Blacks there. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. (renews at {{format_dollars}}{{start_price}}{{format_cents}}/month + tax). Did any presidents live elsewhere during their administrations? We have more in common than not. 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.". White, a Henrico County resident, and the public relations and community engagement officer at Monticello, describes her four-decade effort to reclaim her family heritage in her recently released book, Reclamation., Or as she wrote: It was always my goal to uncover my roots, to understand my familys place in American history, and to restore them to the nations narrative. You could only hear the silver touching the china. Due to a planned power outage on Friday, 1/14, between 8am-1pm PST, some services may be impacted. Hemings, Sally Hemings brother. 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 arrival of Europeans. 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. 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. Two people were injured in a crash involving one of the most iconic vehicles in television history, Missouri officials say. He was a flawed human being who made some horrible decisions,sinful decisions. Gayle serves on Virginias Citizens Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion, where she is founding chair of the Descendant Committee. Get daily or weekly highlights from The 700 Club delivered to your inbox. Did any presidents live elsewhere during their administrations? One relative is a historical figure in her own right. A former award-winning television reporter and anchor, Jessup White started her career at the New York Times. The paradox, of course, is that the Founding Father who lyrically articulated Americas grandest expression of equality enslaved more than 600 human beings on his mountaintop plantation, Monticello. Journalist Gayle Jessup White and historian Andrew M. Davenport MA17, cousins and descendants of families enslaved by Founding Father and third U.S. President Thomas Jefferson, will present A Report from Monticello: Restoring African American Narratives to Thomas Jeffersons Plantation," in a discussion to be moderated by Professor Philip Eliasoph, PhD, OVF founder and director. They were possessions. Gayle taught journalism at VCU and created training programs for at-risk young adults. Her international lineage is principally Nigerian and British. Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her fathers family, 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 . Gayle Jessup White's multilayered autobiography, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy, is divided into three parts.The first, most directly autobiographical part of Reclamation offers a fascinating look at Black life in a prosperous neighborhood in Washington, D.C., during the 1960s and '70sa neighborhood that has . See why she chooses life based on an impossible promise A troubled pregnancy tests the faith of one couple. In the book, she describes their horror upon driving down Monument Avenue and seeing its Confederate statues. She lives in Virginia. The Making of Presidents' and First Ladies' Portraits. Discover steps to bring you closer to Christ. It was a privilege and an honor to speak with you. Join Facebook to connect with Gayle Jessup White and others you may know. {{start_at_rate}} {{format_dollars}} {{start_price}} {{format_cents}} {{term}}, {{promotional_format_dollars}}{{promotional_price}}{{promotional_format_cents}} {{term}}, Independent Contractor (Newspaper Carrier), Youngkin's Superintendent of Public Instruction Jillian Balow resigns, Nebraska cheerleader competes by herself at state competition, but crowd doesn't let her feel alone, Spotsylvania Sheriff's Office ends affiliation with Reelz TV show 'On Patrol: Live', Former Virginia basketball coach Terry Holland dies after battling Alzheimer's. White, Monticellos first public relations and For Gayle Jessup White, landing the job of Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer at Thomas Jefferson's historic home, Monticello, was more than . Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 442-H New York Standard Operating Procedures. Gayle taught journalism at VCU and created training programs for at-risk young adults. But Richmonds proximity to Monticello was fortuitous. Visit Author Central to update your books, profile picture, and biography. Living the Christian life is a journey. She says, For many years I assumed I was descended from Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. Quick Center for the Arts, Fairfield University, Tags: Whites narrative is a metaphor for our nations contradictions and secrets some of her family members chose to pass as white. Feeling my ancestors, hearing my ancestors, say to me: Gayle, write this story. And then, of course, these stories were reported back when Jefferson was president back in 1801. As a young woman in her native Washington gaining an increased awareness of race, being descended from Jefferson became a part of my identity. Copyright 2023 HarperCollins Publishers. That's why I'm at Monticello. Doing so, will help contribute to a better Americaand, yes, a better world for all who live in it." community engagement officer, will join us to discuss her book Reclamation, Monticello, once the home of Thomas Jefferson and 400 enslaved men, women and children, is a testament to America's legacy of freedom and slavery. She and her husband, retired Time Magazine columnist Jack White Jr have a blended family of four sons, one daughter, and seven granddaughters. They were kin, with one family owning the other. Gayle would spend years following clues, tracing her family tree, and scouring historical records. [email protected]. Gayle Jessup White has American history running through her veins. Ever been renovated or changed everyone, and scouring historical records Frankly, recognize! Emerged in recent decades. the china of Whites story is singular, yet somehow pervasive the most of... Has American history running through her veins former NFL star Chad Johnson says he money! 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