WASHINGTON (AP) — It was the middle of the night in the summer of 2021 when I finally found the missing piece of my family history.
My great-great-great-great grandfather Hewlett Sands, born into slavery in Oyster Bay, New York in 1820, was one of the more than 200,000 names listed on the African American Civil War Memorial in Washington, D.C. That meant he was a soldier who served in a United States Colored Troops regiment that fought for the Union – and the freedom we still celebrate today.
As the screen glowed, a mix of emotions – anxiety, elation, pride – washed over me. It was the first step in understanding the story of his life. I want to share what I know about him!
I had to resist the urge to race to the Spirit of Freedom statue and trace my fingers over his name etched on the nearby Wall of Honor. I held off until the sun came up.
This Juneteenth I’m returning to the memorial to honor him and all who served our country, one that spent its first two centuries seeing most of its Black people as someone else’s property. In a special ceremony, I’ll carry on the more than 150-year-old commemoration of enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, finding out on June 19, 1865, that they’d been freed. It’s been a longtime sacred celebration for many Black Americans, but only recently was recognized as a federal holiday.
I’m not just going for myself or my family. I also want to celebrate Frank Smith, a civil rights…
