Critical Family History, Identity, and Historical Memory

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Notes

1. This is not to deny mixing among Cherokees and Whites; before they were forcibly removed, many Cherokees and Whites had intermarried. However, Everett (1999) points out that family stories of Cherokee ancestry sometimes cover over Black ancestry.

2. Uncovering suppressed family memories can be unsettling, which teacher educators should anticipate. DNA testing can disrupt some people's sense of self. For example, as much as one-third of the White population in the U.S. may have detectable Black ancestry (Passing 2007). Other information can also turn out to be disturbing. Several years ago, one of my White students, while completing a family history project similar in another course, found a photo of family ancestors participating in a Ku Klux Klan event, and was quite distraught at this discovery. Although I believe that discomforting findings are part and parcel of delving into history honestly, teacher educators need to be prepared to help students deal with what they find out.