Family history can be a double-edged sword. In this unique program, our two author-panelists, Lee Hawkins and Martha Jones, will reveal how gaining knowledge of their family’s past and Black history in America became, first, a necessity and, finally, a powerful and productive force in their lives. Don’t miss hearing about their family history research, its impact on their lives, and how they and their families move forward.  

I Am Nobody’s Slave tells the story of Lee Hawkins’ family back to the early 1800s – their pursuit of the American Dream through the impacts of systemic racism and racial violence. In researching how trauma from enslavement and Jim Crow shaped their outlook, Lee Hawkins used genetic testing, personal interviews, and historical data to craft a moving family portrait. His book shows how genealogical research can educate and heal Americans of all races, revealing through their story the story of America—a journey of struggle, resilience, and the heavy cost of ultimate success.

Martha S. Jones grew up feeling her Black identity was obvious to all who saw her. But weeks into college, a Black Studies classmate challenged her. Now a prizewinning scholar of Black history, Jones delves into her family’s past for answers. Journeying across centuries, from rural Kentucky and small-town North Carolina to New York City and its suburbs, The Trouble of Color is a lyrical, deeply felt meditation on the most fundamental matters of identity, belonging, and family. A helpful and inspiring guide for anyone who engages in family research.  

Join us for these unique and insightful presentations and for the discussion that follows, facilitated by moderator Thavolia Glymph.

Lee Hawkins was a 2022 Pulitzer Prize finalist as a lead reporter on a series about the Tulsa Massacre of 1921 at the Wall Street Journal, where he worked for nineteen years. He has received several fellowships, including The Carter Center’s Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the Alicia Patterson Foundation Journalism Fellowship, the O’Brien Fellowship for Public Service Journalism, the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism National Fellowship for reporting on child well-being. Hawkins is a five-time winner of the National Association of Black Journalists’ “Salute to Excellence” Award. He is the creator and host of the podcast “What Happened in Alabama?” and lives in the New York City area.

Martha S. Jones is the Society of Black Alumni Presidential Professor, professor of history, and a professor at the SNF Agora Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. A prizewinning author and editor of four books, most recently Vanguard: How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All, she is past copresident of the Berkshire Conference of Women Historians and has contributed to the New York Times, Atlantic, and many other publications.

Thavolia Glymph is Peabody Family Distinguished Professor of History, Professor of Law, Faculty Research Scholar at the Duke Population Research Institute (DUPRI), and associate chair of the Department of History. She is president-elect of the American Historical Association. Glymph's research and teaching fields are slavery, emancipation, plantation societies and economies, gender and women’s history, and the Civil War history and Reconstruction. She is the author of multi award-winning books including The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation and Out of the House of Bondage: The Transformation of the Plantation Household.  She is on the Scholars Council for 10 Million Names.

Presented in partnership with American Ancestors’ 10 Million Names Project and with Boston Public Library’s Research Services Group