Friday, April 30, 2010

Spike Lee uncovers his grandmother's roots in Georgia...


Tonight's episode of "Who Do You Think You Are" highlighted filmmaker Spike Lee's family search back to Griswoldville, Georgia. This hour was another outstanding segment in this series and three points jumped out to me.


1) Even filmmakers can miss the opportunity to use the camera to document the knowledge and family members. Such a valuable lesson for all of us. No matter how much you have captured, once the opportunity is lost, there is always regret. When Spike admits this loss, it touches everyone's heart.


2) When he dug up the red soil of Georgia that Mars Jackson owned decades ago, it reminded me of my first trip to Georgia when I scooped the clay into bottles to take back with me to Wisconsin. And, since both of our ancestors were farmers, the link back to the land struck a chord.


3) Genevieve, his third cousin twice removed, sparked Spike's memory of watching people in an airport and wondering whether he was related to them. I always knew when I met people whose ancestors came from the same German Russian village as mine, that we were related whether we could prove it or not. Spike's experience expands my notion well beyond the small village. The more we learn to think globally, we need to realize if we can track enough generations back, we are all related.


Tonight was another moving story of how one man's family was impacted by history and slavery in our country, and how the same family made such a remarkable impact on our country.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Another great post. I always look forward to your updates. I still haven't watched this show. I better get on it.

Dead Reckoning, New Web site, and New Blog

  Great News!  My latest book is now available.  Dead Reckoning is my attempt to share our heritage with the next generation. It’s about a ...