Dennis: A faded picture stimulates a man to remember his family legacy. Today on Passages David takes us back.

David: You can't just do a history of your individual family. You are doing a social history of the community because it was indeed a very small community.

Dennis: This is Passages. I'm Dennis Benson. This man is seeking his African American roots. David remembers his home community.

David: The community was a very closely-knit community. And they depended on each other for their sustenance and for their growth and for their development.

Dennis: A surprise awaits him.

David: What I discovered was that when I was growing up, I had an uncle who was a Civil War veteran. And he lived to be 103 years old, so I remembered the fact that he was a Civil War veteran.

Dennis: A family memory is triggered.

David: I even attended his 100th birthday party as a kid. And I got a picture of myself at his birthday party back in 1947.

Dennis: David's respect for his family is a challenge from your Presbyterian and United Methodist friends.

© Copyright by Dennis C. Benson, (616) 399-0432