The Hyattsville Branch of the Prince George’s Memorial Library System hosted a series of events this past week in honor of Juneteenth, including a presentation by Sonya Womack- Miranda, on tracing family lineage and discovering tools and resources for tracing African American ancestry.
Womack-Miranda shared with participants her journey tracing her own ancestry across seven Virginia plantations and back to Africa, which is documented in her book, “Un-Named: The Search for Sarah Miller.”
Participants at the June 17 event discussed the history of enslavement and migration, as well as shared stories about their own experiences retracing their family lineage. Her presentation emphasized the importance of taking those first steps to uncover the truth about your family history and not being reliant on a diluted or censored version. Womack-Miranda also encouraged Hyattsville locals to take Juneteenth to find ways to celebrate African American culture and connect with their history.
The Life & Times spoke to Womack-Miranda following the event. Watch the video above.
Sydney Ware is a summer intern at the Hyattsville Life & Times. She is a student at Trinity Washington University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Media Studies.