Race in America: My enslaved ancestors
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 4 July 2020
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
As Americans call for change following the killing of George Floyd, three women share the history of slavery in their families and discuss its impact on society today. Sharon Leslie Morgan in Mississippi is the founder of Our Black Ancestry Foundation, which provides resources for African American genealogical research. She's also co-written a book on the subject called Gather at the Table. Bernice Alexander Bennett is a blogger and radio host in Silverspring, Maryland. Shonda Brooks is a therapist in New Jersey. They've been reflecting with Nuala McGovern on what they uncovered when they researched their own family trees.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello, I'm Nula McGovern on the BBC World Service, and this is BBC OS, conversations about race in America. |
| 0:10.0 | As discussions and actions continue about racial equality around the world, |
| 0:14.8 | we bring together three African American women |
| 0:17.4 | to share the history of their ancestors after uncovering details of a long lost |
| 0:22.1 | relative's slavery. |
| 0:24.0 | Reality hits you hard because you now see that your ancestor was owned by somebody who had the goal to think that they could own a human being. |
| 0:40.0 | 155 years after the end of slavery in the United States, the country continues to |
| 0:48.6 | struggle with racism. After the death in May of George Floyd while being arrested by police officers, |
| 0:54.8 | the US has been forced once again to examine and respond to the treatment of |
| 0:59.3 | black Americans in all aspects of society. It has sparked global protests, unrest and conversations |
| 1:06.9 | about human rights, race and inequality. There is a sense that this time things are changing, including the momentum for police reform in the US, |
| 1:18.0 | the toppling of historic statues and the removal of what is seen as symbols of racism. |
| 1:24.0 | And for us to understand the present, |
| 1:27.0 | we must also understand the past. |
| 1:30.0 | For the African American community, |
| 1:32.0 | it's about centuries of prejudice |
| 1:34.8 | which began after their ancestors were torn from friends and family across Africa. |
| 1:40.0 | According to the transatlantic slave trade database, 12 and a half million Africans were |
| 1:46.6 | shipped to South America, the Caribbean and what was then called the New World. |
| 1:53.4 | Though not an official holiday in the US, June 19th is now known as Juneteenth or |
| 1:59.0 | Emancipation Day after an Army General reached Texas on June 19, 1865 to tell people that were |
| 2:07.2 | enslaved there that they were free. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.