Introduction

Jim Rumph (1810 - 1912)

Shared History tells the story of the relationship that developed between my family–the descendants of slave owners–and the descendants of enslaved African Americans.  The film explores the almost 300-year connection between these two groups at Woodlands, also known as the Simms place, a South Carolina ante-bellum plantation.  

 

This blog seeks to expand the conversation started in the film.  It asks the question: can we talk about the realities of slavery with each other by sharing personal stories about connections forged by slavery and its aftermath? 

 This includes all of us living in the United States because of the economic impact of slavery on the entire nation.

Shared History has an companion blog entitled Just Like Family, which is also designed to further the national conversation about race issues in this country.  Just Like Family is a repository of memories, stories, comments, theories, and conversations about the impact of African American women who raised white children from the white and black points of view.  

For detailed information about the film and the history of the families and to buy a DVD, visit  us at Shared History.   You can also see teasers for the film on YouTube and Vimeo, and, in the future, footage that was considered too controversial for the PBS documentary.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Felicia Furman, Producer/Director, Shared History and Blogger

Tiffany Huggins returns from Europe

Tiffany Huggins, a recipient of the Woodlands Families Scholarship, has completed a semester-long program as an international exchange student in Europe.  The program is part of the University of South Carolina, Aiken, where she is a business management major.  Tiffany is from Orangeburg, SC and is a member of the historical Nimmons family of Woodlands Plantation. Classes were held at the Ieseg School of Managment in Lille, France, for the spring 2011 semester.  While in Europe, she visited 5 countries–Italy, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom.  Tiffany said, “…there were adjustments that I actually enjoyed, like having fresh-baked bread every morning and eating food prepared, for the most part, without preservatives.”  For more information about Tiffany’s adventures visit http://www.thetandd.com/lifestyles/magazine/article_93a5ab76-9eb0-11e0-86db-001cc4c03286.html.  “I know that my international traveling is not over–it has just begun.”