There Has Been No Remorse over It: A Narrative Inquiry Exploring Enslaved Ancestral Roots through a Critical Family History Project

Abstract

This paper explores the benefits and value of college students’ conducting critical family history (CFH) projects, which may serve as curricular material to expand students’ understanding of complex aspects of history and immigration. This article unpacks how one student came to see herself and others from a deeper perspective, particularly through the lens of someone who chose to continue digging into her enslaved ancestors’ roots. Using narrative inquiry, a college instructor and former student collaboratively reflect on the lessons learned from using a CFH project in a college-level class primarily for preservice teachers. A unique aspect of this paper is that it gives voice to a former student in the class, which provides a way of seeing the complexities and dehumanizing components of the lives of enslaved Africans in the U.S.—often sanitized out of history books. In addition, a university librarian suggests approaches to genealogical research, by focusing more on the lived experiences of ancestors that go beyond dates and locations. The perspectives from both a former student and the college instructor add multiple dimensions on lessons learned from a critical family history project, which uses students’ family histories as funds of knowledge as the primary curriculum.

Critical Family History: A Tool to Dismantle Racism

“…After class, Dr. Mokuria and I had a long talk. Our dialogues later took the form of a published article (Mokuria et al 2020), based on my interest in digging even further into my family's history. A few years later, I learned about some male ancestors who were White and had a half-sister, Marcelite, who was bi-racial.…”

“…I personally cannot get over the centuries of oppression because there has been no remorse over it. (Mokuria et al 2020) My numbing pain when I face the truth about some of my ancestors and their struggles has served to motivate me. I now work with first-generation college-bound students to successfully support them in navigating and flourishing at the collegiate level.…”