"I dont know what I expected, but I dont know if I was prepared [for the result]. It showed that Im actually related to a woman Ive been writing about."
Deborah L. Berry is an American politician who was the Iowa State Representative from the 62nd District from 2012 to 2017. From 2003 to 2012 she represented the 22nd district, most of which is part of the current 62nd district.
"Im still kind of overwhelmed by just the whole story. Even looking through the census records I felt some kind of sadness that I could only go so far. Even when I tried to go back further, all I could find was records that said free colored or slaves. There were no names attached to those people, so we werent even counted."
"It turned out to be very emotional."
"Part of it was not so much to be able to prove everything. Because we dont know that we can prove ... it was to go back to the motherland to see if she could trace where she believes her ancestors came from. Walk the walk that they walked. Go to the places where they might have had to be held."
"So, if you have time, and you have the passion, then take the time to go find out more about your family."
"We all have a story, and especially as African Americans, weve contributed much to the making of America. In some way — whether your great grandmother was enslaved in South Carolina, whether your grandfather was a sharecropper — all of them have played a role in what America is today."