It is important to talk to the other side of the family because we’re related – we’re cousins.  God made all of us.  By coming together we can show people how to live.

I grew up knowing that there was a white side to the family.  We grew up playing together, so I knew.  But Henry Wiencek’s book about the Hairston family has made quite a difference.  It reached out to people who would never have discussed some of the stories that were told in the book.  Even the little story about me and my blindness – people wouldn’t have talked about it.  They would whisper that I’m blind.

It’s been wonderful meeting Will Hairston and his father and mother at our reunions and at this event.  And to hear their side of the story – that’s so important.  Coming to the Table certainly does that, not just for the Hairstons but for other families.  It’s been enlightening to me.  I feel that our families have been able to communicate and overcome some obstacles.

If I can share a little bit about what we’ve done and how we’ve handled it, perhaps others can learn from that and keep the process going. This has been an inspiration to go out and do more.  We have paved the road and now we want to see others follow that path.  It’s a journey.