Slave descendants and plantation owners become friends
About 181 years ago, Nkrumah Steward’s relatives worked as slaves at Wavering Place Plantation in South Carolina. Today, Stewart and Robert Adams, the current plantation owner, are becoming friends.
Last week, Steward and his family of Michigan enjoyed dinner with Adams, who is also his cousin.
“After almost two centuries, my mother and father, my two sons, my wife and myself sat down in that very house and broke bread with the descendant of those who owned members of my family,” Steward said in a blog post.
In 1835, Joel Robert Adams and one his slaves, Sarah Jones Adams, had a daughter, Louisa, Steward’s relative.
“We are cousins by blood,” he said. “And tonight we took the first steps together towards also becoming friends.”
The families talked for three hours, and Adams told USA TODAY he wished they had a whole day.
This wasn't the first time the two families connected. Last year, Linda, Steward’s mother stopped by the plantation and spoke with Shana, Adam's husband, about their connection. Once they realized they were related, the families started a Facebook friendship and started getting to know each other.
Last week's meeting was the first time their families got together.
“This was not about the past,” Steward told ABC News. “This was not about, ‘Let’s try to fix things that we can’t ever change.’ This was about, ‘My name is Nkrumah Steward,’ and ‘My name is Robert Adams, pleasure to meet you, cousin. Let’s get to know each other.’”
Table conversation touched on everything from "Game of Thrones" to sports.
"It felt like we’ve known them our whole lives," Adams said.
Adams, who can't wait to introduce them to more family members, said this meeting shows how times are changing in America. They plan to get together again within a year.
"Slavery happened and that should be recognized," Adams said. "In today’s world, I think we can move beyond the past and work on a better world for everybody."
Wavering Place Plantation, family owned since 1766, is a bed and breakfast and venue rental. Also, owners Adams, his wife Shana and brother and sister-in-law Weston and Lisa offer education tours.
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