February 12, 2021

Last summer, the Washington Post asked to publish part of my reflection on my family history and my struggle with racial identity as a white woman who descended from a line of colored slaves in Louisiana—including my 5th great grandfather who sued for his freedom, and won.

However, once I agreed to work with them, they cut out the most meaningful part of my journey (my Christian faith) and one editor in particular almost begged to refer to my great grandmother as a “black woman”- even though she was of multiple mixed races. I refused to concede on her race, and they published part of my piece in a reflection in July 4 piece entitled “What to the African American is the Fourth of July?”. I would be honored to share the full, unedited article with you. It is listed at the bottom of this page.

I began working on a second piece about my great uncles who, as freed men of color, fought freely under the confederate flag. This story was too much for the editors at the Washington Post. After a few heated email exchanges, it became apparent that WAPO obviously was too entrenched in virtue signaling than pursuing honest journalism. I would love to share my family’s stories with you- but I have been silenced at every turn. Imagine that, a woman with a history of slavery and oppression in her family line, silenced again. Of course, it’s the “winners” who write our history---and maybe that’s something to rebel against.