Running Heading: WHO AM I
WHO AM I
Who Am I and Where Did I Come From?
Coloni Brown
Our Lady of the Elms
Who Am I and Where Did I Come From?
Family history is very important to an individual identity. By knowing where one comes from, they can have a better perspective on their lives. Having a clear understanding of your family background allows one to better appreciate the things that you would normally take for granted. The house an individual lives in, the car they drive, and the even their clothing may look better when one sees the sacrifices their family has made. An individual's roots and origin is one of the most important things to explore. It alone can bring us closer to self-discovery.
There are two sides to an individual's family and both play a major role in one's development. My paternal side to my family has been traced all the way back to slavery.
This side of my family originally came from a Georgia plantation. Although my father is Afro-American, he claims that his great-great-grandfather was a white, and owned slaves. This was a fact that took me a few minutes to wrap my head around, I could not believe that I came from a family of a slave owners. Although, I've heard many stories of slave owners sleeping with their slaves, but to find out it took place in your family is surprising to say the least. I've learned that many of my family members were bi-racial slaves. My maternal side of the family is all from the island of Haiti and I can only imagine that their story was totally different. My grandparents moved my mother, her two sisters, and brother to America when they were very young. They migrated from Port...