Beverly Elliott finds tracing one's family history can be a challenge for many in the African American community.
"Many of us can trace our lineage back to slavery, but we don't have a story," said Elliott, who serves as the executive director of the African American Museum of Southern Arizona. "We have no idea how most of our families lived, where they lived, how they were treated or mistreated."
It's what made the pitch for the museum's latest permanent exhibit, "A Slave's Story" so intriguing to Elliott.
The exhibit tells the story of Candice Hammons, a Phoenix-area resident who, through a DNA test, discovered that she was the descendant of a slave owner and one of his slaves.
Through research, she found that another descendant by the name of Sterling Arnwine, also a slave, had given an interview about the family and his time as a slave to the Library of Congress in the 1930s.
"(Candice) has a complete story about how her ancestors were treated," Elliott said. "We are delighted to be able to bring this story because it might be the story of other African American families."
The exhibit is a culmination of Hammons' research and will have a permanent space at the African American Museum of Southern Arizona, located in Room 244 of the UA Student Union.
Larry Starks, president of the Juneteenth Committee, provides an audio version of the written account.
Elliott said the exhibit will be both at the museum and online on the museum's website.
