From Anger to Healing
The one thing I do know is that to recover from trauma, one must first confront it and then make a conscious decision to heal — singing Amazing Grace is not enough.
The Joy of Juneteenth
The meaning of this day is freedom, and we should all be free.
Building a bigger table for Juneteenth
As we prepare to celebrate Juneteenth, it is only fitting that we reflect upon the work of abolitionists such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman.
How a family discovery connected two strangers — and opened their eyes to New Hampshire’s history of slavery
Ward Singer says her work with national organizations Coming to the Table and Our Black Ancestry taught her not only how to do genealogical research on her ancestors, but how to reckon with her family’s history.
A look at the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, featuring Betty Kilby Baldwin
‘It’s etched in my mind forever’: 70 years after court ruling ending segregation, Betty Kilby continues to push for equality.
North Fork’s first Juneteenth parade set for Greenport
The Greenport community will welcome the North Fork’s first-ever Juneteenth parade as part of its annual celebration of the federal holiday.
A Burial Site Reveals the Healing Power of Living Histories
Tending the graves of enslaved Black folks at Button Farm gives living descendants the chance to acknowledge the past and embrace truth.
Zehr Institute Webinar: Restorative Justice & Racial Healing
This webinar, featuring CTTT co-managers Jodie Geddes & Tom DeWolf, focuses on the importance of utilizing RJ practices in racial justice & healing work as practiced by Coming to the Table.
Linked Descendants Q&A
We both had the understanding that we couldn’t change the past, but we could take this step now and write a new beginning.
Building a bigger table for celebrating milestones
The Affiliate Chapter of Coming to the Table Historic Triangle in Virginia celebrates five years!
Getting Under My Skin: Reckoning with My White Confederate Ancestor
In the first decades of the twenty-first century, many voices have called for recognition and reconciliation. Other voices have sought to limit dialog.
A Way Forward (podcast on 1898 Wilmington Massacre)
What would it take, and what would it even mean, to heal from a wound like the Wilmington massacre and coup of 1898?
Building a bigger table to dispel false historical narratives
Laura D. Hill is the executive director of the Virginia Racial Healing Institute, which manages Coming to the Table-Historic Triangle.
Southold Celebrates Dr. King’s Message Of Nonviolence
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s message of the power of peaceful protest carries extra poignancy this year in a political climate fraught with the prospect of political violence.
The 1898 racist massacre and coup still reverberates through Wilmington, N.C.
Both authors have deep roots in Wilmington, but neither of them learned about 1898 in their youth; the truth wasn’t acknowledged publicly until the mid-1990s.
Divided by slavery, reunited in reconciliation
180 members of the Mines and Morris families gathered in Caroline County, VA at Glamorgan, the plantation home built by Ann Morris’ great-great grandfather in 1850.
When genealogy friends find out they are family
Stacey Adger, descendant of enslaved people, writes of her newfound connection with Cheryl Hudson Passey, descendant of enslavers. They presented together recently at the Ohio Genealogical Society conference. Both are CTTT members.
‘The wound hasn’t healed’: Activists recount 1898 Wilmington coup that terrorized Black residents
Armed white supremacists terrorized Wilmington, North Carolina, in the fall of 1898. The repercussions are still felt today.
Dismantle Racism interview on TalkRadio.NYC
CTTT co-manager Tom DeWolf was interviewed by Dr. TLC for her weekly radio program on TalkRadio.NYC.
Building a bigger table to repair systems that perpetuate injustices
What are our responsibilities to repair broken social systems based upon centuries-old racial hierarchies, which determined who had access to community resources and whether people were valued or devalued?
Slavery Ties That Bind Freedom
Two women, one Black and the other White, connected through slavery, share intimate moments about how they were able to forge a remarkable friendship despite their family’s painful history
My father’s family kept slaves – and he defended it. Acknowledging it matters
Amid a rise of laws forbidding discussions of racist histories, sharing our ancestors’ shameful wrongdoings is more urgent than ever.
Commemorating the first Africans in Virginia
Building a Bigger Table to commemorate the first Africans in Virginia.
Real Women. Real Purpose. Talk Show.
Ginny Robertson talks with Cathy Roberts & Venetia Bailey, Co-Leaders of the Montgomery County, MD affiliate group of Coming to the Table.
Candid and Courageous Conversations
Sitting around a table sharing food is an ancient ritual, one that’s at the heart of Coming to the Table (CTTT),
A Closetful of Skeletons
What do you do when your family tree contains so many Confederates and white supremacists, you can’t decide which one to write about first?
Bringing Martin Luther King’s Vision to Life
Betty Kilby-Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby, authors of Cousins, are interviewed for The 700 Club on the Christian Broadcasting Network.
Descendants Trace Histories Linked by Slavery
Some American descendants of enslaved people and others whose ancestors profited are using online portals to collaborate and reckon with their shared family pasts.
Healing from Racial Trauma – TEDx Talk by Dr. Lisa Collins
An educational researcher plans to study trauma but instead explores her lived experiences.
NPR/CoastLine: Lucy McCauley on the crimes of her white ancestors and her role in racial reconciliation
Lucy McCauley was well into adulthood — married and raising her daughter — when she discovered her white ancestors had enslaved people.
CoastLine: Lucy McCauley on the crimes of her white ancestors and her role in racial reconciliation
Lucy McCauley was well into adulthood — married and raising her daughter — when she discovered her white ancestors had enslaved people.
Netflix “Stories of a Generation with Pope Francis” features long-time CTTT member Betty Kilby Fisher Baldwin
The Netflix series “Stories of a Generation with Pope Francis” features long-time CTTT members Betty Kilby Fisher Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby
Wilmington’s 1898 massacre. What comes after remembrance?
Commemorating the 1898 Massacre in Wilmington, NC
On Saturday, come out to work toward healing Williamsburg’s racial divide
Heal Williamsburg/Heal the Nation Day
Pair of Women Sit at MLK’s Table of Brotherhood
Betty Kilby Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby have become a two-woman, racial-reconciliation juggernaut.
Descendants Of The Enslaved Sheltered From Hurricane Ida In A Historic Plantation’s Big House
Descendants Of The Enslaved Sheltered From Hurricane Ida In A Historic Plantation’s Big House
Cousins United Through Slavery
Two women found each other through understanding and reaching out. “Hello Cousin!”
Reckoning: Family Businesses Confront Race, Racism and Inclusion
Family Businesses Confront Race, Racism and Inclusion
Brought Together: How two strangers found friendship and healing as they came to terms with the legacy of slavery
Brought Together through Coming to the Table to confront the legacy of slavery
‘This is just the first step’: Williamsburg City Council creates committee to understand racism, racial injustice historically and now
Creation of a first-ever Truth and Reconciliation Committee in the City of Williamsburg, VA
Authors of “Cousins” Interviewed on South Africa’s WOMan Radio
Betty Kilby-Baldwin and Phoebe Kilby, co-authors of Cousins, were interviewed on South Africa’s WOMan Radio
Private and religious groups are starting to pay reparations for slavery—but it’s nowhere near enough
Several Coming to the Table members were interviewed for this article on Reparations
When You Discover Your Ancestor Was the Head of the KKK
Sharon Morgan talks about how people can research family history, and how to process when they find out disturbing information about their relatives.
Critical Race Theory: What is it & why is it so controversial?
Coming to the Table Wilmington, NC Local Affiliate leader Kim Cook interviewed about Critical Race Theory.
The Cross Connection on MSNBC
Tiffany Cross interview with Tom DeWolf and Debra Bruno on The Cross Connection on MSNBC
Despite racial reckoning, state efforts stall on reparations
decades-long debates about whether to offer reparations to the descendants of slaves in the U.S. finally seemed to be gaining momentum
Making a Difference Mondays: Interview with Laura Hill
Making A Difference Mondays interviews Laura Hill about Coming to the Table in Virginia’s Historic Triangle
Daily Inspiration: Meet Fran Sutton-Williams
Highlighting the life and work of Fran Sutton-Williams, co-facilitator of CTTT Santa Monica.
It’s past time for Congress to consider reparations
US Congress is considering HR40: Commission to Study and Develop Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act
How do we resolve racial tensions? Start with reclaiming Black family history
How do we resolve racial tensions? Start with reclaiming Black family history
Virus is the latest battle of people v. profit
The decision to sacrifice the most vulnerable people to create and sustain wealth for the colonists resulted in a legacy of racial injustices that makes a clear case for reparations today.
Friends Journal review of The Little Book of Racial Healing
The Little Book of Racial Healing reviewed by Karen Heidenreich, for Friends Journal
Rally on reparations, racial equity in Colonial Williamsburg
A rally is being held Saturday in Colonial Williamsburg to foster conversations on racial equity and reparations.
New historical marker on Harrisonburg Virginia Court Square tells story of Charlotte Harris’ lynching
Steven Thomas of CTTT and the NE Neighborhood Association addresses those gathered at the unveiling ceremony for the Charlotte Harris historical marker on Court Square. Harris was an African American woman lynched in March 1878.
Virginia Tech Unfinished: Interview with Jodie Geddes & Tom DeWolf
Jodie Geddes & Tom DeWolf interviewed about CTTT and The Little Book of Racial Healing for VTUnfinished
Two Women Tackle Shared History
Two women, one descended from an enslaver, the other from the people he enslaved, travel together to the Deep South to learn their families’ pasts and reckon with their shared history.
Reparations Interview: Asheville, NC
Asheville activists Robert Thomas and Phoebe Kilby are interviewed about successful efforts in getting the Asheville Reparations Resolution passed in Asheville, North Carolina.
Gather at the Table – Bill Myers Inspires podcast
Gather at the Table authors Sharon Leslie Morgan and Thomas Norman DeWolf join Bill Myers to discuss their Healing Journey as a Daughter of Slavery and a Son of the Slave Trade.
Local group fights systemic racism by talking about it
Coming To The Table South Florida was formed in October with the idea of creating a space “to discuss issues that are impacting the races” in a respectful manner
History Lessons
I discovered that my ancestors had enslaved people. Would connecting with a descendant of those who were enslaved bring anyone healing?
Coming to the Table statement on Police Violence
Coming to the Table grieves the heartbreaking loss of George Floyd and all the countless people murdered by police in recent months and throughout the history of the United States.
Minnesota institute at ‘epicenter’ of training on racial restorative justice
Requests for training from Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute have skyrocketed since the death of George Floyd.
White Americans must confront their privilege
White Americans must take responsibility for the impact of discrimination handed down through generations against Black Americans.
BBC OS Conversations: Race in America: My Enslaved Ancestors
As Americans call for change following the killing of George Floyd, three women share the history of slavery in their families and discuss its impact on society today.
America, It’s Time for Racial Reckoning
Our country has been marred by the murder of Rayshard Brooks in Atlanta, coming on the heels of the brutal killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police in May. Their blood cries out for justice.
The Local Take Talks “What Can We Do?” with Chuck Cogliandro
In light of protests and calls for change, I reached out to Chuck Cogliandro leader with the Kumandi Drum Circle and Coming To The Table to ask, what can we do?
It’s time to work through the pain of racial healing
The common denominator in all injury is pain. Like physical wounds, racial wounds cause pain, stress and sometimes shock and trauma.
It’s time to uproot racism where it began
If Gov. Northam is serious about racial reconciliation, let it begin at Jamestown, where the seeds of racism were first sown into Virginia’s fertile soil.
Beto O’Rourke’s ancestors were slaveholders, records reveal
Presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke speaks about the legacy of slavery, but has never publicly shared the slave-owning story of some of his own family.
Wilmington needs truth/reconciliation process to address legacy of racism
“Essential part of ending cycle of violence, despair in low-income communities” – Coming to the Table seeks to create communities of support.
Her ancestors enslaved mine. Now we’re friends.
Phoebe Kilby discovered her ancestors were slave-owners and she wanted to pay reparations. She found her linked descendant Betty Kilby.
Our nation’s foundation is rooted in racism. We won’t be whole until we repair what’s broken.
CTTT-RVA, the local chapter of a national organization committed to racial healing and social equity, held a forum on reparations.
Her ancestors were slaves. His were slave traders. They took a road trip to ‘confront that history’
Her ancestors were slaves. His were slave traders. The unlikely pair drove 6,000 miles in 30 days by following a map based on family genealogy.
Denver activists make reparations hoping for racial justice and reconciliation
A growing racial justice movement focused on reparations and reconciliation involving people who have discovered enslavers in their family history.
Virginia Gov. Northam Plans His ‘Racial Reconciliation Tour’
NPR’s Michel Martin asks what reconciliation looks like. Her guests in clude genealogist, Our Black Ancestry founder, and CTTT member Sharon Leslie Morgan.
Why You Should Dig Up Your Family’s History — and How to Do It
These are more than facts. They’re the myths that are a part of the story of yourself, whether you like them or not. There’s more to your story.
Hate, interrupted: Coming to the Table offers a way to talk about race
It’s no coincidence that activist Mary Dadone calls Coming to the Table meetings a “12-step program” for racial reconciliation.
Two White Colorado Women Turn to Reparations
Lotte Lieb Dula found a book of her grandmother’s with inventories of 100’s of slaves.“I want to skip the guilt and shame part, and do something.”
A Moral Debt: The Legacy of Slavery in the USA
James Gannon and the film team made part of A Moral Debt with members of the CTTT Richmond local group and at the 2018 National Gathering.
Their Ancestors Were on Opposite Sides of a Lynching. Now, They’re Friends.
Interview with Jackie Jordan Irvine, descendant of lynching victim, and long-time CTTT member Karen Branan, author of The Family Tree.
Program Aims to Teach White Liberals How to Talk About Race
CTTT member David Campt interviewed on Oregon Public Broadcasting about The White Ally Toolkit during Morning Edition on NPR.
Is the United States Ready for a Truth-Telling Process?
Fania Davis, activist and the founding director of RJOY, and Jodie Geddes, of CTTT, interviewed by the The International Center for Transitional Justice.
Fabrice Guerrier and Jodie Geddes join CTTT leadership
Meet Fabrice Guerrier and Jodie Geddes, the new President and Vice president of the CTTT Board of Managers; alumni of Center for Justice & Peacebuilding.
Trump’s presidency stirs up fear among African Americans in L.A.
Fearful past images have returned since Donald Trump became president; images of Trump supporters, faces twisted in rage, attacking black protesters.
Karen Branan discusses The Family Tree with Roland Martin
Karen Branan discusses her book The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, a Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth, on News One with Roland Martin.
Raising the Dead: Coming to the Table
“Like Rosa Parks, I’m unwilling to give up my seat on the bus of history, and like Lucia King, committed to confronting history and finding a way to heal.”
Truth Hurts, Then Heals: Coming to the Table
I learned through Coming to the Table that I was not alone in my genealogical quest for enslaving ancestors; how crucial facing history is to all of us.
Let freedom ring: An ongoing journey of reconciliation and redemption
“The end is reconciliation, the end is redemption, the end is the creation of the beloved community.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Author to speak about surprising connection to 1912 Harris County lynching
“The Family Tree: A Lynching in Georgia, a Legacy of Secrets, and My Search for the Truth,” by Karen Branan; published by Atria Books
Faith community discusses racism, Black Lives Matter
Vaughn’s talk was offered through Coming to the Table, with a goal to promote honest conversations between descendants of “enslavers and the enslaved.”
Textbooks were ‘racist to the core’
Most public school students in South Carolina in the 20th century were taught from books written by the daughter of a slave owner and Confederate soldier.
Confronting Slavery at Long Island’s Oldest Estates
“We tend to save the iconic, architecturally significant buildings, but what about these [former slave dwellings]? They are part of the story, too.”
His Ancestors Were Slave Traders and Hers Were Slaves. What They Learned About Healing from a Roadtrip
A journey to test whether two people could come to grips with deep, traumatic, historic wounds and find healing. We had no idea where we would end up.
Ben Affleck and PBS Failed at Helping Viewers Deal With the Past
“Finding Our Roots,” PBS, Henry Louis Gates, and Ben Affleck withhold information about Affleck’s slave-owning ancestors.
Dear Ben Affleck, My Ancestors Were Slaveowners, Too
The harm our slave-trading ancestors caused is not our fault. But repairing the present-day consequences of that harm is a responsibility we all share.
Juneteenth 2014
Juneteenth commemorates the day in 1865 when many enslaved people discovered they were free. Interview with descendants from enslaved people and enslavers.
Descendants touched by slavery come to the table
Eighty people attended the bi-annual National Gathering of Coming to the Table at Eastern Mennonite University, where CTTT was founded in 2006.
Dwelling in the past, but not dwelling on it
Joseph McGill has slept in slave dwellings from Connecticut to the Deep South, in urban centers and rural plantations, helping people identify with places.
Gather at the Table on C-Span
C-SPAN’s “2014 Cities Tour” visited Bend, Oregon to feature the community’s literary life, including an interview with author and CTTT E. D. Tom DeWolf.
My Family Tree in Black and White
The descendant of a master-slave union faces an unexpected challenge: how to relate to the people whose ancestors once owned hers.