By sjtaliaferro
One night during the holidays I watched one of my favorite
movies, Roots: The Gift. The movie stars LeVar Burton and Louis Gossett, Jr.,
in their roles as Kunta Kinte and Fiddler from the television series Roots. In
this movie, Kunta and Fiddler accompany their owner to another plantation at
Christmas time for a party, and become involved in a plan to help some runaway
slaves escape via the Underground Railroad to freedom. A simple, yet powerful
story. There are many messages and lessons to be learned from Roots: The Gift.
In one of my favorite scenes, Fiddler and Kunta are helping
the group of runaway slaves get to the river where they are to meet a boat that
will take them further on their journey to freedom. Along the way they make a
stop to pick up other “passengers” on the Underground Railroad. When they come
to a farmhouse, Kunta approaches and knocks. The man asks…”who goes”? Kunta
responds “Friend of Friends”…in acknowledgment, the man replies “Friend of
Friends”. A group of “passengers” exit the house. Kunta, Fiddler, and the group
continue their journey.
This year, I was particularly moved by the Underground
Railroad scene, and even more so by the phrase uttered by Kunta- Friend of
Friends. The phrase, and variations of it, was used along the Underground
Railroad as a password or signal to those assisting runaway slaves on their
journey North…to freedom. The traditional response to the “who goes there”
password is said to have been “A Friend of a Friend”.
A Friend of Friends. Say it… A Friend of Friends, again…A
Friend of Friends. It evokes such a comforting, welcoming feeling. A feeling of
trust, of sharing, of caring, of kindness, and of friendship, however brief. At
the same time, it is transient…adjusting and changing with the circumstances.
I’m A Friend of Friends….you don’t know me, but I require assistance…I need
your help, and guidance…some information to aid me on my journey…then I’ll be
moving on…to the next stop along the way.
The phrase, and the underlying concept, seems particularly
appropriate and relevant for those of us in the genealogy community; aren’t we
all on some level really just A Friend of Friends? Strangers helping strangers.
Friends of friends with a common bond that ties us all together….the desire to
know our ancestors, and to tell their stories. A common goal, with different
methods, different paths that cross and intersect along the journey. As we
travel this road to uncovering our ancestors and their stories we should all
embrace the concept…we should be A Friend of Friends. Don’t be afraid or
reluctant to share, to care, to guide, or to assist your fellow researcher
along their journey.
As an African American researcher my task is two-fold; I
research my family, but inevitably I must also research the family of my
ancestor’s slave holders if I want to know more about my roots. Often we must
seek information (assistance) from those that we do not know to aid us on our
journey. It is an unavoidable truth – the descendants of our ancestor’s slave
holding families may hold the key to our enslaved ancestor’s past. Slavery is
an ugly truth of our shared history. I am not angry with you because your
ancestor held my ancestor as a slave; don’t be angry with me because I seek
those records that may shed more light on the lives of my people, and help me
to tell their story more completely. Some who were members of slave holding
families assisted passengers along the Underground Railroad. I challenge you to
be A Friend of Friends.
We, as researchers of our African American ancestry, must
also remember to share, to care, to guide, and to assist our fellow
researchers; reach out, take time….no, make time. Can you request and expect
the assistance of others, yet not expect the same of yourself? I urge you to
stop being selfish with your research. Don’t miss out on a connection or a long
lost cousin because of fear or uncertainty. Post It, Blog It, Share It, and
Publish It. Many who were passengers along the Underground Railroad returned to
assist others on their journey to freedom. I challenge you to be A Friend of
Friends.
True genealogists know all of this, and understand the
necessity of it. Indeed, the concept is nothing new in the genealogy community.
Random, and not so random, acts of kindness occur every day. So, consider this
a wake-up call, my challenge to you. When a fellow researcher comes calling…for
info…for guidance…for knowledge…for support – be there – to share, to care, to
guide, and to assist.
KNOCK, KNOCK!?!
WHO GOES THERE?
A FRIEND OF FRIENDS
Thank you Sandra for all you did for the African American genealogy community, the genealogy community as a whole.
