‘Homecoming’: Invited to Africa as a guest of the U.S. president | The Excerpt
On Sunday’s episode of The Excerpt podcast: For years, Wanda Tucker has used her family's story to encourage others to explore and preserve their family history. Tucker has traced her history from Virginia to the shores of present-day Angola. Earlier this month, when President Joe Biden became the first U.S. President to visit Angola, Wanda Tucker traveled there as his guest. Paste BN National Correspondent Deborah Barfield Berry, who traveled to Angola for this story, joins The Excerpt to discuss why Wanda Tucker and other members of the Tucker family have remained open to confronting a painful past and what they hope others take away from their journey.
Hit play on the player below to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript beneath it. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.
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Dana Taylor:
Hello and welcome to The Excerpt. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Sunday, December 22nd, 2024.
For years, Wanda Tucker has used her family story to encourage others to explore and preserve their family history. Tucker has traced her history from Virginia and a ship called the White Lion to the shores of present-day Angola.
Earlier this month, when President Joe Biden became the first US President to visit Angola. Wanda Tucker traveled there as his guest. Why has Wanda Tucker and other members of the Tucker family remained open to confronting a painful past? What do they hope others take away from their journey?
For more on that, we're joined now by Paste BN, National Correspondent Deborah Barfield Berry, who traveled to Angola for this story. Welcome back. It's good to have you here, Deb.
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Thank you for having me.
Dana Taylor:
First, who are the Tuckers of Hampton, Virginia? And what is the Tucker family tie to Angola?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
The Tuckers are generations of a family that lived in the Hampton, Virginia, area. Still live there actually. They've been there for generations. They've lived a life. They've talked about their family heritage there, for years.
Their ties, they believe they are the descendants of some Angolans who were brought to the English colony there, in 1690. Anthony and Isabel were brought off that ship and they had a child named William, and they lived in a family of a captain named Tucker. They believe they are the descendants of those Angolans. And that story has been shared for generations in Hampton, and now it's been shared across the country and across the world.
Dana Taylor:
And how did this trip to Angola, earlier this month, and Wanda Tucker's meeting there with President Biden, come about?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Well, some of the details of just exactly how she was granted or honored with this trip, were still kind of sketchy. But what we do know, and what she does know, is that her story, which became, like I said, an international story, a worldwide story, was spread years ago, particularly in 2019, when the world and the country commemorated the arrival of that ship in 1619.
So with that, her story has been shared. It's been talked about. We believe that perhaps the president read our story, Paste BN's story and others, and know that she has been kind of the face, if you will, of African-Americans in descendants from that [inaudible 00:02:31].
So she was invited on this special trip with a delegation of about 30 people, including historians, civil rights leaders, faith leaders, and then there was Wanda, whose story couldn't be more connected to Angola than anybody's on that plane.
Dana Taylor:
And then what did she tell you about her actual meeting with the President?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Wanda was, as she put it, she was a wreck and her language that she was a hot mess and that she teared up when she met the President. It was a very emotional moment for her. She had met the President of Angola a couple of times, had met ambassadors from Angola, had many other higher-ups in the Angolan government. But for her to meet President Biden on Angolan soil, it meant the world to her. She was giddy and caught up for days after that. I think she still is actually.
Dana Taylor:
This wasn't Wanda Tucker's first trip to Angola. What led to her first visit, and how many times have she and her family been back?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Well, her first visit was in 2019, actually with the Paste BN. Five of us went to Angola as part of our project called 1619: Searching For Answers. And as part of that, what we did was, we wanted to trace Wanda's path as she went in search of where her ancestors may have come from. So it was a powerful moment, powerful journey. She been there. I mean, that was what, five years ago? So that makes this year actually extra special in a lot of ways. But she's been there nine times since, not as part of Paste BN, but on her own at the invitation of the President of Angola and as well as now they do family trips there. Almost every year they do what's called a heritage tour and they return to Angola.
Dana Taylor:
And can you tell us briefly about 1619: Searching For Answers, and what you discovered?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Paste BN, like many organizations, were doing commemorative pieces and packages on the anniversary of the arrival of a ship, again, from Angola to the shores of the English colony. Many people or experts point to that as being kind of the moment where chattel slavery kind of took off and has of course, been in place 400 years since.
We decided that we would do something a little different than most news organizations. We decided we would go back to Angola, and particularly with a family like the Tuckers, who believe they are descendants of. We thought it would tell a different story, offer a different perspective, especially if we can go back to where the ship came from.
We did everything from tracing the tracks and paths of Wanda Tucker, as she went in search of her family. Whether it was a village, a remote village, whether it was the waterfalls, whether it was Massangano, where many of the Angolans were enslaved, pinned, branded, and then shipped off. We did photos, videos. It literally was a whole package to try to capture what it meant, both in terms of the history of African-Americans in America, as well as what it means today.
And part of that was also working with Angolans to talk about where we are as a country, and our relations with that country, and the historical ties that bind us.
Dana Taylor:
The Tucker family is now well-known in Angola. How have they been received there and how are conversations about formerly enslaved Angolans, approached there?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
I was with Wanda, of course, the first time, and I was with her this second trip, which was earlier this month.
The first time I think we all were on a new journey. People were getting to know who she was, and then we went to different villages. By the time we got there, people already had this kind of buzz about her, and they were already calling her their daughter, or welcoming her home.
This trip, they were like rock stars. They were already known. I mean, whether it was at the hotel, people already knew them. Whether it was the Angolan dignitaries, who already knew them. I think, and partly because they've been back several times, they made a mark every time they've come. They are humbled by this experience. They don't take it for granted. And they are using, if we're using as the right word, yeah, using that platform to try to make sure that their story, as well as the stories of many other African-Americans who don't have an ancestor to name, remain in the spotlight, that they don't forget the history both in United States and in Angola.
And to answer the other part of your question, I think as has been the case in United States, there is some pushback about acknowledging that history of slavery, both there and in Angola. And in a lot of ways in Angola, they just gained their independence from Portugal, like 50 years ago. Next year is when they're going to celebrate that. So, they still are a little bit in that colonization kind of life, if you will, because they still were part of that. So I think acknowledging the history in both countries, has been a little slow in happening, and still a little slow in being acknowledged.
But this trip, Dana was part of acknowledging that history, both in the United States and in Angola, especially with Biden and making his remarks that he made. At the foot of the National Slavery Museum in Luanda.
Dana Taylor:
These journeys, while not easy, have been homecomings for Wanda Tucker. What has she shared with you about why she continues to return to Angola? What has she said about the country?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
So for a lot of ways, I think that first trip for Wanda, kind of opened the door, her heart, her mind, to her connection to Angola. I mean, she left their mood. She will tell you that has said that, we've written that, and that's been true from then on. She's been on a mission, if you will, to build a relation or to try to prove relations between the country and the United States, but more importantly, to make sure there's an acknowledgement of the connection, the historical connection between the two. She's made that a mission.
And as an educator or semi-retired educator, she still is an educator. And for her, her passion is making sure young people, in particular, know their history. And for many African-Americans who cannot trace their history, don't have the weights and really have a paper trail as many other people do, or they don't have any particular way to say, "I'm from this place or that place." Or, "My roots are here."
This is part of their mission as a Tucker family who believe they can do that to offer some hope to families who can't, or at least have them be a part of that journey as they discover their own and search their own.
And again, I said semi-retired, but Wanda's working as hard now as she was before.
Dana Taylor:
You mentioned President Biden speaking at the National Slavery Museum in Angola. He spoke directly to the Tucker family. Thanked them for being there. He also said, "We're going to write history, not erase history."
What did that message from President Biden mean to Wanda and her family?
Deborah Barfield Berry:
They made it clear, and so were others who were part of that delegation, that VIP delegation I mentioned, that acknowledging the history of slavery, both in Angola and in United States, was important to them, is important to them, will always be important to them.
So to have the President of the United States and his first visit to Angola talk about that, only amplified the message, and for them became even more important or gave them even more of a reason and leverage, if you will, to deliver that message. To talk about that again.
There has been pushback about teaching black history in the United States, or restricting what's taught, including slavery. There have been book bans, and particularly many of the authors are people of color or people who are writing about race or racial issues.
So for them, it meant a lot that the President of the United States will say, "Yes, it happened. No, we can't erase it. Yes, we need to own up to it." That for them, I think was probably one of the most powerful parts of his message. And for them, it just gave them more of a reason to say, "Yeah, we're going to do this. Yeah, we're going to make sure our story is told."
Dana Taylor:
It's a fascinating story to follow. Thank you so much for being on The Excerpt, Deborah.
Deborah Barfield Berry:
Thank you for having me, Dana. Have a great one.
Dana Taylor:
Thanks to our senior producers, Shannon Rae Green and Kaely Monahan, for their production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty.
Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to podcasts at usatoday.com. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of The Excerpt.