Exec learns her ancestors were enslaved by ancestors of Rep. Guthrie.

Lacretia Johnson Flash was deeply moved when she read the letter from her late mother, which asked her to "Keep in touch with family." Flash, now the senior vice president for DEI, community, campus culture, and climate at Berklee College of Music, was intrigued to discover that she came from a line of ambitious ancestors who had managed to rise from slavery in middle Tennessee to become some of the first Black landowners in Perry County.

As part of a larger initiative to trace the lineages of more than 600 leading political officeholders in the U.S., Reuters examined the connections between two of Congressman Brett Guthrie of Kentucky's ancestors and Flash's. Shockingly, they found that Guthrie's ancestors had enslaved Flash's great-great-grandfather and great-great-grandmother.

Flash decided to take a trip to Tennessee to meet her mother's cousin, Helen Craig Smith, who had written a book about Black residents in the county. Through her research, Flash was amazed to learn that her great-great-grandparents, Tapp Craig and Amy Guthrie, had taken on the surnames of their enslavers, and had managed to save enough money through tenant farming to make a down payment on 90 acres of land along a tributary of the Tennessee River.

Flash believes that, while conversations about race can be difficult, they are necessary in order to help us heal. She doesn't want anyone to feel guilty for the actions of their ancestors, but instead to use them as an opportunity to learn more. Her great-great-grandparents used their land to help close the educational gap in the county, between Black and white children, by building a school and church.

In conclusion, Flash's story is a powerful reminder to never give up on family and to use opportunities to help others. It is a testament to the courage and determination of the ancestors who managed to rise from slavery and make a better life for themselves, and those who came after them.

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