Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from . It behooves us all to know that history. Essence, "One of November's Eagerly Anticipated Reads" Ms. magazine, Gayle Jessup Whites multilayered autobiography . Get more than a Sunday sermon. 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. By And she decided to challenge the guests at the table with her own lineage. 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.. Whites story is singular, yet somehow pervasive the most honest of American narratives. Why Movieland says you have to be 17 to attend a movie after 7:30 p.m. 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 the first public relations and community engagement officer at the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the nonprofit that owns and operates Monticello. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, 442-H New York Standard Operating Procedures. A former award-winning television reporter and anchor, Gayle started her career at the New York Times. Discover God's peace now. Did any presidents live elsewhere during their administrations? She attended the citys private and public schools and attended Howard University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications. Bookperk and other HarperCollins services. Every family has its secrets and family lore, and often the inheritors of those stories can't separate fact from fiction. Her American roots are in Virginia going back to the Jamestown settlement, and in Maryland. What are some unusual animals that have lived in and around the White House? Hardcover As she walks the grounds of Monticello, Gayle Jessup White tells the story of those who once lived there - the enslaver, Thomas Jefferson, who enslaved more than 600 people, and the enslaved families he forced to work there. Her 30-year career includes pubic relations, news reporting and anchoring, and public speaking. A Black descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings family explores Americas racial reckoning through the prism of her ancestorsboth the enslaver and the enslaved.Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her fathers family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jeffersonlore she firmly believed, though others did not. Kirkus Reviews, "19 Books We Can't Wait to Curl Up with This Fall!" I feel that the ancestors pulled me out of my hometown, my beloved hometown, Washington, D.C., to come to Richmond Virginia, which is just 70 miles from Charlottesville, so that I could become a vehicle for them, so that I could express as well as I possibly could what they were not able to. 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. She is not only a direct Jefferson descendant, but is related to two well-documented families enslaved at Monticello - the Hemingses and the Hubbards. In the 90s, when Gayle was out of college and building a career in journalism, she got serious about her search. It was four generations of the Jefferson and Hemings families. 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. Senate Minority Leader Norment, Majority Leader Saslaw, among more than a dozen legislators who will not run again. 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. Skip to main content. Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy, 1996-2023, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. 1 ranking in country. Her 30-year career includes pubic relations, news reporting and anchoring, and public speaking. She's written and spoken extensively about her work at Monticello. Facebook Live series, White House History Live, delves into the history of the Gayle Jessup White is the Public Relations & Community Engagement Officer at Monticello, Thomas Jeffersons legendary estate. Did any presidents live elsewhere during their administrations? She writes about it in a new book titled "Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, And A Descendant's Search For Her Family's Lasting Legacy." For Gayle Jessup White, landing the job of Public Relations and Community Engagement Officer at Thomas Jefferson's historic home, Monticello, was more than . Can God change your life? She has traced her ancestry to Jefferson and two families that were enslaved at his estate, Monticello. Are you an author? . We are the sum total of our backgrounds of our ancestors, and I didn't know who mine were. 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.' Send us comments about our Author Pages. Active listings data currently unavailable. The Making of Presidents' and First Ladies' Portraits. Facebook and YouTube pages starting at 5:30 pm ET on January 10. She is the author of the book, Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendants Search for Her Familys Lasting Legacy. And Sallie Hemmans Whites great-great-grandmother was the daughter of Peter Hemings, an older brother of Sally Hemings. Gayle serves on Virginias Citizens Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion, where she is founding chair of the Descendant Committee. Gayle Jessup White, descendant of Thomas Jefferson, searches for her family's legacy By Erin Keever Published November 10, 2021 at 9:00 AM EST Listen 49:25 Wednesday, Nov. 10, 2021 America. Gayle taught journalism at VCU and created training programs for at-risk young adults. In her book, Reclamation, Gayle chronicles her journey to find her heritage, and more. That's my job. View and manage who you follow on Amazon. Find out how she changed paths. communications Her family tree traces back to Thomas Jefferson, our third president. It ended up being a good fit for us. For years, Gayle would dream of one day finding out if what they said was true. If you have an immediate prayer need, please call our 24-hour prayer line at 800-700-7000. 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. But what I am committed to doing is to raise the visibility of those people who didn't have a voice. Our 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. She is also a member of the Council of Historic Richmond, and the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society. In so doing, she 'reclaims' our common humanity and gives new meaning to 'one nation, indivisible.'" Her discoveries there opened a window into who her ancestors were: overcomers who helped build America while being oppressed by slavery. Her American roots are in Virginia going back to the Jamestown settlement, and in Maryland. Copyright 2023 HarperCollins Publishers. And I've made those connections. As a young woman in her native Washington gaining an increased awareness of race, being descended from Jefferson became a part of my identity. What are some unusual animals that have lived in and around the White House? Indeed, it is a homecoming for us all. Cheryl Wills, Emmy Award-winning journalist and author ofThe Emancipation of Grandpa Sandy Wills, "From a girl of Black middle-class privilege to a politically charged race woman driven to unearth the truth of her ancestry, Gayle Jessup White takes us on a journey of self-discovery. Owning people is sinful. See why she chooses life based on an impossible promise A troubled pregnancy tests the faith of one couple. Susan Fales-Hill, television producer and author ofAlways Wear Joy, Reclamationinstantly reverberates with those of us who are desperate to rebuild our family trees, especially for Americans who lived during the colonial era. That's why I'm at Monticello. Gayle serves on Virginias Citizens Advisory Council on Furnishing and Interpreting the Executive Mansion, where she is founding chair of the Descendant Committee. The conversation focuses on Trumans unexpected ascension to the pr Has the White House ever been renovated or changed? Copyright 2021 NPR. So there was no way that I could have pieces to the puzzle such as I did not and pursue it, not to want to put it together. Through her account, the author fleshes out many of the genealogical questions concerning Jefferson that have emerged in recent decades." What are the dimensions of the White House? In a 2018 article for Smithsonian magazine, Davenport wrote, The research that has come out of the 25 years of Getting Words existence has in many ways been the invisible hand behind the visitor experience at Monticello where about 400 enslaved laborers worked at one point in their lives.. Former NFL star Chad Johnson says he saved money by living inside Cincinnati Bengals stadium for 2 years. Williams: 'My story is their story, too': Gayle Jessup White, a descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, reclaims her heritage. Download the free myCBN app. 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 . REQUESTS, https://d2wawpwx3aybf6.cloudfront.net/hc-audio/9780063028685.mp3, privacy 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. {{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, 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. 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 home's main. Well, this would have been taboo back in the 1960s and early '70s. 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. Its important to look at each other and to work through those differences and see ourselves as Americans and recognize the kinship. But again, it took decades and decades for scholars and the public to accept the truth. 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.". Jefferson kept copious notes, so that's how we know that. MARTIN: That is Gayle Jessup White. submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her fathers family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jeffersonlore she firmly believed, though others did not. EPUB Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Jefferson was 6'2", had red hair and freckles. 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