The legacy of racism and slavery in the United States is addressed in this collection of 25 stories told by descendants of both enslaved people and enslavers, who are members of the national organization Coming to the Table (CTTT). Co-editors Dionne Ford and Jill Strauss end their introduction with "We are grateful to these twenty-five contributors for sharing their descendant stories, which confront the legacy of slavery and reclaim a more complete picture of US history, one cousin at a time." (Page 6).
Slavery's Descendants: Shared Legacies of Race and Reconciliation by The book's four parts of contributed personal essays follow the four interrelated practices of Coming to the Table for its work on racial injustice and equity:
Uncovering History: Researching, acknowledging and sharing, with openness and honesty, the personal, familial, community, state and national histories of race.
Making Connections: Connecting to others within and across racial lines in order to develop and deepen relationships.
Working Toward Healing: Exploring how we can heal together through dialogue, reunion, ritual, meditation, prayer, ceremony, the arts, apology and other methods.
Taking Action: Actively seeking ways to dismantle systems of racial inequality, injustice, and oppression, and working toward the transformation of our nation.
From page 4 of the book.
Journalist and novelist Lucian K. Truscott IV, a descendent of enslaver Thomas Jefferson, has been active in Coming to the Table. He welcomed descendents of enslaved Sally Heming into the family. He wrote several New York Times articles about this.
