FAUQUIER COUNTY, Va. —
What began as a way for Karen White to fill time eventually turned into a lifelong passion project.
White, who is currently the director of Afro-American Historical Association in Fauquier County, Virginia, started researching her family history some three decade ago. Once she began, she couldn’t stop.
“I imagine a fisherman - if he really likes to fish - he’s going to go to as many ponds as possible,” White said. “For me, I wanted to find more about different family members.”
But along the way, White made an unfortunate discovery. Many of the more than 10,000 enslaved people from Fauquier County were documented by their first names and little else.
“It was easier, I believe, for a person to not consider [someone enslaved to be] fully human,” White said.
This made it difficult for descendants of those who were enslaved in Fauquier County, such as White, to find their history.
After years of piecing together documents, White was able to find relatives in her past. But she wanted to pay that forward, and help others find theirs.
In 2019, the Afro-American Historical Association launched “Know Their Names," in an effort to create a searchable database for people to research their enslaved ancestors. The database is comprised of tens of thousands of primary source documents that trace back centuries.
“It matters,” White said. “It gives breath to the history that has been invisible for so long, that has been overlooked, overshadowed, downplayed, [and considered] unimportant. It tells people that we were here. This is our story. This is our lives.”
This story is part of WUSA9’s ongoing series “The Heart of It," highlighting the best of humanity across D.C., Virginia, Maryland and beyond. If you have a suggestion for Sean Martinelli, you can write to him at TheHeartOfIt@wusa9.com