Sherryl N Weston,
Denver, CO.

I was an adult before we learned the full scope of my mother’s complete ancestry story. Timbuctoo, NJ was co-founded by my 5-generations ago grandfather. Looks like he was a part of the 1860 Battle of Pine Swamp, where the residents beat the tar out of slave catchers who had come to capture one of the town residents. The problem with the following link is that the story is told as if this was “discovered” (was it Columbused?), when, in fact, my family has owned the land since those days, now three centuries ago. The land that is referred to in this piece is not separate from my mother’s property. Her land is a part of what is Timbuctoo (GPS it) and we have to documents to prove it. Once academia or media makes something public, it changes the narrative, based on the limitations of those individual’s understanding. Isn’t that the problem that Blacks have always had? My heritage is part of a mixed race, free Black story that goes far beyond this clip. We are into the late 1700s in the search down the maternal side of my matrilineal line and haven’t found a slave yet. Now as then, we are not allowed to be all we can be and my life work has become a part of making changes to that bind. It’s said that history becomes the story of the winners, My family is an example of how true it is that we African Americans are more than even WE realize…