This picture above represents the decision many of our enslaved ancestors had to make after they heard, “We free now!” Let me explain.

Many of our enslaved ancestors asked, “What do we do now?” Options were VERY few. Many remained in the area where they had been enslaved, and some packed up and left eventually for other opportunities. Hard decisions had to be made.

Around 1866, after being told that “Mississippi was the land of milk and honey with fat pigs running around with apples in their mouths,” my mother’s paternal grandfather, William “Bill” Reed (1846-1937), and his older sister Mary decided to join a wagon train headed for Panola County (Como), Mississippi to work on a man’s farm where they could have a better life, according to oral history. Life had been terribly hard for them, as their mother had died, and their father, Pleasant Barr, had been sold away to Ripley, Mississippi c. 1859, never to see him again.

But several years ago, I discovered that Bill and Mary had a sister, Louvenia, who decided to remain in Abbeville County, South Carolina. She married a man named Robert Thompson, and they had at least eight children. In my mind, I picture a young woman (Aunt Louvenia) waving goodbye to them with tears running down her face, knowing that she would likely never see them again.

Aunt Louvenia’s great-great-grandson, Najee (middle), informed me about her last-surviving grandchild, Teresa (pictured), who was 91 years old, doing well, and was still in Abbeville County. Najee got her DNA sample twice, which failed both times. We were heart broken. Mom had already commented at how much she favored her father’s baby sister, Aunt Martha Reed Deberry. Najee made another drive from Atlanta to South Carolina to get a third DNA sample. It worked! The close family connection was confirmed. I soon drove down to South Carolina. I had to meet her. We took the above picture. This visit was so surreal to me!

We, descendants of enslaved people, all have freedom stories of survival and bravery, rather if the exact details are known or not. They underscore the incredible amount of strength they had, and this strength and resilience flow through our veins. Let’s never forget, regardless of how many seem to want us to. Happy Juneteenth!