Write Up: Meeting David Wilson
by Latoya Peterson
Last weekend, while channel surfing, I was flying through my channel line up when my remote paused on a program I had heard about for quite some time – Meeting David Wilson.
The MSNBC site describes the documentary:
David Wilson was a 28-year-old African-American man from Newark, New Jersey. He grew up in a tough, urban neighborhood, but managed to navigate his way out of poverty and into the world of news production in New York City. Now, meet another David Wilson: a 62-year-old white man from rural North Carolina. He grew up in Caswell County, where his ancestors once farmed tobacco. He now operates a small chain of BBQ restaurants in nearby Reidsville. Although they have never met, the two men share more than just a name…
Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., MSNBC premiered “Meeting David Wilson,” the remarkable and inspiring story of a young man’s reconciliation with his ancestors’ history as slaves. The world premiere of “Meeting David Wilson,” was hosted by “Today” Correspondent Tiki Barber and followed by a 90-minute live discussion of racial issues in America.
I had heard of this story on NPR, the black man who tracked down his ancestors and the descendants of the family that owned them. I was intrigued. But Meeting David Wilson is so much more than just a meeting, or just a story of two families – it is one of the few documentaries I have seen able to dig deep into the issues that have resulted from race and slavery in an accessible, humanized way.
I came into the story a little late, so I missed the opening scenes as discussed in the trailer above. By the time I tuned in, David’s journey to the South was already underway. He explains that his family worked on a tobacco plantation, and chose to spend a day harvesting tobacco the old fashioned way. A white tobacco farmer helps him on this part of the journey, and explains to him how the process is done as well as how it used to be done.
David Wilson also visits his family graveyard and talks to one of the town elders about his family and the history that she remembered. The story is fleshed out with lots of historical references and benefits greatly from David’s narration. After spending the day on the tobacco farm, and the night finding out about the lives of his ancestors, David Wilson prepares to meet the other David Wilson in the morning.
At this point in the documentary, the question is posed: What does David Wilson (white) owe David Wilson (black)? Random samplings of people on the street were asked how they would react to meeting the descendants of an enslaved family or slave holding family, depending on their race. Most people are too confused to really comprehend the idea.
Of the white respondents, one tries to explain the situation away (”blacks live better here than anywhere else”), another deflects entirely (”I don’t owe anyone anything!”) and a third honestly describes discomfort (”If had done something that wrong to someone, I wouldn’t want to meet him.”)
For the black respondents there were a lot of questions and anger, but not so much at David Wilson (w). It was the situation itself they reacted to strongly. Most people were just amazed that this could happen. The town Elder mentions that she thinks David Wilson (w) owes him nothing. She reminds David that the history books have shown who the victors of that particular part of history were – African-Americans are now free, and are able to move forward. She encourages David (b) not to expect anything of David (w), but instead to turn inward and work within the community.
At this point, we meet David Wilson (w) who is open an willing to discussion.
While walking and talking on the grounds of the plantation, David asks David Wilson (w) about the racial climate in the South. They discuss segregation. David (w) is a little nervous but discusses frankly his memories of segregation. “It was the way it was,” he eventually states. David (b) asks: “Did it ever bother you that you could play with your black friends, but not go to the same school?” Uncomfortable silence prevails. David (w) admits he never thought of it in those terms. He also mentions that you never know what you are missing when you never know anything different. Interesting.
DW (b) asks about the last name Wilson and what it means to David (w). David (w) mentions history and legacy; David (b) brings up slavery and family connection, as well as the loss of the original family name.
David Wilson (w) breaks in and asks point blank if slavery didn’t help blacks out of the inescapable poverty of Africa. Taken aback, David (b) mentions that America, too, might have been impoverished if it were not for the free labor of blacks. Both men shift back into uncomfortable silence.
At this point, it strikes me how brave both these men are. This conversation is really uncomfortable, and it would be difficult to have with a close friend, let alone a stranger. And yet, they are finding their way through.
They both enter into the plantation (which is now referred to as a “Stately Southern Mansion” by relators). David (w) explained the slave quarters and how land was parceled. David (b) goes to try to locate slave quarters. He finds one in an overgrown section of the woods and went inside. It is dilapidated and small – it brings to mind the idea of a rustic cabin. David (b) is profoundly moved – he feels like he is the manifestation of the prayers for freedom that took place in that space. He is what they hoped for: he posses a free life to do as he will.
I must admit, I started to tear up a bit.
Both David Wilson’s ancestors lay claim to Christianity as their chosen religion, so the Davids had a conversation about religion and slavery. David (w) believes that owning others and being a Christian is a state in conflict, but he also mentions that at the time the norm, slave holding was the norm. David (w) also believes that hypocrisy is inherent to the human condition. DW (b) seems frustrated by the answer – perhaps he wanted a stronger condemnation from DW (w).
DW (b) brought up reparations as a hypothetical. DW (w) does not feel that what was done 150 years ago is something that he is responsible for correcting. He believes he can kind of help with the other kind of work, like educating about history and fighting racism. He asks what would reparation money to be used for, and if it would have any help at all. DW (b) agrees, and thinks that financial may or may not help. He thinks that schools need to provide a wider understanding of history and African Studies should be widely taught.
After the conversation, they had dinner at DW’s (w) restaurant. The men bonded over Southern Style Barbecue.
David Wilson (b), notes: “I began to see less and less of the descendant of a family of slave owners, and more and more of a decent human being.”
Later on in the evening, the two men talked about what they would tell the slaves/slave masters respectively. The slave masters would be told about the impact on history. The slaves would be told that their suffering was not in vain.
The segment ends with an MLK quote from the “I Have a Dream Speech:”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
Talk about speaking truth to power.
The documentary continues with DW (b) completing a DNA test to see if he and DW (w) were blood related. While David (b) is waiting on the results, he invites DW (w) to go to his family reunion. (Later, it is determined that David Wilson’s origins are in Ghana, and he and David (w) are not related by blood.)
David Wilson’s (b) family is shown undergoing ritual where they all held cowrie shells, to be returned to Africa on the next leg of David’s journey. After the shells are collected, David Wilson (w) pulls up in a town car, having brought some of his relatives as well. The porch was full of members of David’s (b) family – and they all watched David (w) pull up and step out of the car.
David (w) cracks: “I didn’t know whether we were being received or deceived – but it was a great day.”
The reunion seemed like lots of fun. The two familes shared, sang and danced together.
In the morning, DW (w) and DW (b) went to church together.
David Wilson(w) was not too concerned over the results of the DNA test: “David and I are not related in blood, we are related in history,” he said.
After visiting with his family, David (b) hops on a plane and goes back to Africa.
This segment has African-American children talking about Africa. The conjure up images of dark people, poverty, AIDS, and jungles. But David flies over a beautiful landscape and ends up in a vibrant city. He went to a store called “African Royal Fashion,” and proudly walked out wearing a full outfit – only to be looked at strangely by a young guy in western street clothes.
(Later, David pairs his new shirt with jeans.)
David travelled outside of Ghana to visited two slave forts, as well as “The Door of No Return.” His hired guide explains that the door site is where they lost contact with their ancestors forever. David also toured the slave dungeons and spent a very cold night there.
When he returned to Ghana, the people held a ceremony to welcome David Wilson and heard his story.
Finally, David wades into the water off the coast of Ghana and scatters the cowrie shells he collected earlier.
Moving into the last segment, David states: “People asked me what I learned in this journey. I learned to be African and American.”
After a short reflection, David is shown giving a talk to school children. He reminds them that the struggle of slavery resulted in African-Americans coming out as the victors. The ancestors have overcome, and now it is our turn to carry on their legacy.
David asks the class if anyone has questions.
Every child raises their hand.
The final scenes show that both David Wilson’s are still friends, who email and call each other on a regular basis. The series ends on a hopeful note, with David Wilson stating what we would all do well to remember:
“Our future together is more important than our divided past.”
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Lakergrrl wrote:
How did I miss that? That is exactly the type of program BET should be bringing us. But nooo, instead we get Hell Date…
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 7:55 am ¶
gatamala wrote:
co-sign Lakergrrl
***
I’ve always wanted to sit down w/ “that side”. My grandpa found them while doing some family research. I googled one of them (our family shares the same last name and is from the N. GA/Western SC area) and almost freaked when I saw the picture. The patriarch looks like a white version of my grandpa.
What I think they owe me is time, effort and access to resources [information] that would enable me to find out more info on my black ancestors.
What I think they owe us is honesty. Honesty about who they are (genetically and metaphorically) and what this country really is.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 8:52 am ¶
ceecee wrote:
I wonder if re-runs will be aired.
Thanks for sharing Latoya it is a powerful story.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 9:12 am ¶
Penni Brown wrote:
I watched this back in the spring when it first aired. It was a great program and I thought DW (b) was brave and poised and thoughtful with his approach. It would be very easy to be angry and antagonistic.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 9:35 am ¶
Ismone wrote:
My aunt, when doing some geneological research, ended up corresponding with someone on the black side of our family. She said it made her feel really awkward when she realized that the woman she was corresponding with was black, because it made her think that we had at one point, probably owned slaves.* (We’d always thought/hoped our family had not owned slaves, probably because we were Northern and not exactly wealthy.) She also told us that the woman was really nice and made her feel comfortable—I don’t think either of them brought it up, but I am sure it was on both of their minds. It makes me sad to think that someone connected to me didn’t have the moral understanding to know what they were doing was deeply WRONG.
It is something I tell other white people now. I think it is important that we not forget, and think about what it means to be descended from those who made their money from slaves.
* It is of course, possible that someone in my family intermarried well before it was accepted. I wish that were true, but I think that believing it would just be a convenient out for me.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 9:51 am ¶
soreal678 wrote:
this documentary is at least a year or more old as I saw it a while back ago. very very moving and provocative documentary. i would love to get to know my ancestors but I quite frankly dont even know if any records exist abroad.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 10:29 am ¶
Cara wrote:
I’d heard about this documentry a while ago and I’m sad it wasn’t better publicized. I’m originally from Kinston NC and Reidsville is not far from my county….Old Caswell Co. and Old Dobbs Co. where next to each other ~ 150 yrs ago……So this story hit home!
It’s good that the doc had a ‘happy’ ending. I don’t think things would have gone that way if my family meet thier white (and/or Nat. Am) counterparts. I’ve heard a little of our history and let’s just say…things would not got that smoothly.
As per thier discussion about wheather black are better off now b/c of slavery…..I never agreed or understood that statement. We don’t now how well off Africa could have been without the coming of the Europeans and all of the problems they brought with them. I know that some African tribes already owned slaves, but it was NOT the chattle slavery of the west. And we just don’t know what could have been w/o this crime against humanity.
I do believe in reparations, but like both DW’s, I don’t think a monetary solution is the answer. We have resources (though not supported by the gov – we do have $). We need support from the government in terms of specifically targetting Black Educational, Economic, and Health concerns! The system needs to be changed, and giving $ would only put a bandaid on the wond. … I am definitely against doing nothing to atone for the TA Slave Trade. The government has to answer for what was done and take accountability for it.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 10:36 am ¶
kim h20s wrote:
I’m African-American with a Scottish name. A few years ago I received a phone call from a Scottish gentleman. He discussed his genealogy research and how he came to find my family. He knew that we were African-American, but more importantly we were American citizens and he was looking for a relative to sponsor his visa!!
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 11:12 am ¶
waxghost wrote:
I’m glad that the black David Wilson was able to find such an open person in the white David Wilson.
Ismone, I think the whole country is/was responsible for making money off of slaves. One side of my family wasn’t even here until after the Civil War so they couldn’t have (and I too would like to think, wouldn’t have) owned slaves but they still benefited indirectly from the prosperity that came at such a great cost to the slaves (and their ancestors, and even us today). So I personally don’t really distinguish between the poles of Northern/Southern, slave-owning/non-slave-owning.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 11:53 am ¶
Thea wrote:
Wow, how amazing. Thanks for the play-by-play Latoya!
I really agreed with what you said here:
“At this point, it strikes me how brave both these men are. This conversation is really uncomfortable, and it would be difficult to have with a close friend, let alone a stranger. And yet, they are finding their way through.”
I would think that it would be hard enough to find two people who could have a convo together about this, let alone allow themselves to be filmed. I wonder how David Wilson (w) reacted when he first heard about David Wilson (b)’s journey.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 12:11 pm ¶
atlasien wrote:
Some of my white ancestors were almost certainly slaveholders. The line on my grandfather’s side goes all the way back to Jamestown. I’m ambivalent about mapping out my family tree all the way, though. Maybe I’ll do it one day.
One issue I see that ought to be corrected… all the scenic courthouses dotting the South, featured so prominently on postcards and brochures, should have plaques dedicated to the named and unnamed enslaved people who built them.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 12:25 pm ¶
Fatemeh wrote:
That’s really beautiful, mashallah.
I hadn’t heard of this either; maybe I can catch a rerun.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 1:29 pm ¶
gatamala wrote:
One issue I see that ought to be corrected… all the scenic courthouses dotting the South, featured so prominently on postcards and brochures, should have plaques dedicated to the named and unnamed enslaved people who built them.
same w/ the plantations.
I’ve always wanted to buy a plantation and flip the whole museum aspect by focusing on the hands that built and ran it.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 1:46 pm ¶
misslyddie wrote:
waxghost said: they still benefited indirectly from the prosperity that came at such a great cost to the slaves (and their ancestors, and even us today). So I personally don’t really distinguish between the poles of Northern/Southern, slave-owning/non-slave-owning.
I completely agree. One of the reasons that I like to call BS on most anti-reparations arguments that other whites give (namely, that they didn’t do it, it happened in the past, so why should they care- monetarily, etc) is that no matter what, slavery created prosperity in this country and that prosperity has always been first and foremost for the benefit of whites. This country would not be the same economically if we hadn’t oppressed africans and native americans. Just because it happened in the past doesn’t mean that we don’t still have prosperity and privilege. And not all of it even happened in the far away past- what about segregation? etc. etc.
anyway- this documentary sounds incredible. I wonder if it’s out on dvd.. maybe I could get it on netflix.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 2:38 pm ¶
dug wrote:
I think that brings up a lot of good questions, but the wisest course of action will be to learn from history and move forward rather than dwelling on it or using it like a crutch. Bad things happened to many people in the past; now it’s up to us to learn from those instances and make a positive impact in our own sphere, versus sticking out our hands hoping from a freebie.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 5:47 pm ¶
dug wrote:
p.s. I think the best kind of reparations would be to give the fine men and women who were forced into slavery the credit due them. They were the ones who were wronged, not us. Pay them honor and tribute.
Posted 15 Jul 2008 at 5:49 pm ¶
Florence Craye wrote:
Fascinating documentary! Thanks for sharing this with us, Latoya.
I’ve just now finishing up a book very similar to this documentary, Slaves in the Family. It’s written by a white man whose ancestors were slave owners in SC, and he looks to find the descendants of the slaves his family once owned and make connections with them.
It’s pretty good, although I think he goes into much more detail about his family’s history than about the encounters with the African-American families, but it is still fascinating and has some emotionally moving parts. I wondered if it would have been published if it were presented by an African-American man, looking to connect with descendants of the families that owned his ancestors. I am glad there is a program like this out there.
I will also have to see if it is on netflix!
Posted 16 Jul 2008 at 9:11 am ¶
Andrea R. wrote:
I agree with you dug, that’s a very good idea like a memorial wall . . . I’m sure someones thought about this . . . or there is one . . . I’m not sure =( I’m from the PNW and there isn’t much of African-American museums and such over here so I might not have heard.
Florence Craye that sounds like a very interesting book and will go get that from my local library.
I’ve tried looking for this documentary and I can’t find where to rent it and to purchase it, it’s all sold out. Anyone have any ideas?
Posted 16 Jul 2008 at 11:30 am ¶
deb wrote:
I saw this when it aired earlier this year.
Word.
Not to hijack this post, but did anyone also watch “Traces of the Trade: A Story From the Deep North”? It tells the story of the largest slave -trading family in America, the DeWolf’s from Rhode Island. DeWolf descendants trace the route of the trade and discuss its aftermath and the legacy of slavery.
Posted 16 Jul 2008 at 11:31 am ¶
Mana wrote:
I just watched this documentary a few weeks ago, via a DVD (so it is available, more on the <a href=”http://meetingdavidwilson.com/?/About”official website, including a link to the MSNBC site with some really interesting clips from the panel discussion).
I found David’s (b) response to David’s (w) comment about the long-term benefits to blacks of living in prosperous America to be spot-on, and was similarly surprised at how frank and honest the dialogue was — especially as this was produced and aired on MSM rather than a small indie production company. I agree that it would be great for BET to feature more programming list this. I hope that airing it on MSNBC compelled more white people to watch the film, because it’s just as important for people of privilege to see evidence of that privilege as it is for African-Americans to learn of their own history and see affirming messages about their community.
How do you think it helped raise awareness about how the legacy of slavery manifests itself now? I often find documentaries with historical themes don’t adequately demonstrate how the strains of history exist today (which is just as much about how our culture rejects the past as irrelevant, generally speaking, as it is about slavery, specifically, being relegated to the margins).
Posted 17 Jul 2008 at 3:02 pm ¶
Big Man wrote:
YOu should have seen the discussion at Howard when the show first aired. That was pretty interesting as well.
Posted 17 Jul 2008 at 3:35 pm ¶
Big Man wrote:
Sorry I wasn’t more clear. MSNBC had a roundtable discussion at Howard University moderated by Brian Williams. After watching a documentary that tdid a great job of trying to go beyond the surface the roundtable discussion was nothing but surface with tons of commericials.
It was like MSNBC did a good deed and then said “Well, now we need to make some money.”
It was interesting watch those two very different things.
Posted 17 Jul 2008 at 3:40 pm ¶
Linda Hargrove wrote:
I blogged (at 17seeds.com) about this show back in April and I’m so glad I found your post. I wasn’t able to catch the show so your ‘play-by-play’ is great.
——
Linda Leigh Hargrove
author of
The Making of Isaac Hunt
Loving Cee Cee Johnson
Christian fiction with a heart for racial reconciliation
Posted 21 Jul 2008 at 2:21 pm ¶
alex wrote:
For folks thinking about memorials/public history monuments illustrating the extent and nature of the slave trade and the way plantations operated:
http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/05/25/travel/25trail.html?scp=1&sq=louisiana%20tourism%20slave&st=cse
I’d be curious to hear what you think of these efforts. I thought the comparison to tourism around Europe’s death camps was particularly interesting.
And, Latyoya, thanks for reminding me of this documentary! I just bought a copy from msnbc.com to show my US history class. Deb, thanks for the reference to “Traces of the Trade” as well.
Posted 21 Jul 2008 at 5:24 pm ¶