I think this is my favorite episode so far. It provided a fascinating glimpse into the details of free black life in Virginia before the Civil War. Blair's g-g-g-g-grandfather bought slaves who were his family members to take care of them and let them live as free people, to make sure that they could remain in Virginia. (What a convoluted and nonsensical situation caused by the legislature at the time.)
Blair's history is the history of this country, and it's wonderful to discover in the context of this show. Too bad he cannot find out how is relatives became free, but knowing they were was wonderful.
Blair had his DNA analyzed and results show a lot more detail than I would have thought. The lab was able to tell him they found a relative in Cameroon, and then he met him, a tenth cousin, his father, and the village.
These episodes are on On Demand, and I think I have to watch this one again.
[I wonder who looked through all those documents to find the information on his family, and if they were paid for their efforts. :) How do you find a tenth cousin and get to meet him without a network's resources behind you?]
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.