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Reclamation with Gayle Jessup White

Gayle Jessup White had long heard the stories passed down from her father’s family, that they were direct descendants of Thomas Jefferson—lore she firmly believed, though others did not. For four decades, she researched familial connections to Jefferson, ultimately learning that she was not only a descendant of Jefferson on his father’s side but also the great-great-great-granddaughter of Peter Hemings, Sally Hemings’ brother. White, Monticello’s first public relations and community engagement officer, joins us to discuss her book Reclamation, which chronicles her remarkable journey to understand and reclaim her heritage as a Jefferson descendant.

Credit
White House Historical Association