By Fatiha Belfakir,
Special to the AFRO
The AFRO American Newspapers recently hosted a Chicken Boxx livestream titled, “Speak Your Truth,” where the Executive Director Lenora Howze and Managing Editor Rev. Dorothy S. Boulware, shared stories of finding their biological families.
Knowing your ancestors and your roots is a gift.
Unfortunately, this gift is not bestowed upon everyone. While some are not interested in the backstory of their origin, others devote time, money, and energy to explore their family ancestry.
Constant doubt and a relentless search for self-identity and self-belonging led the two brave women to embark in a journey often long and winding to track their ancestors. While the road is filled with doubts and uncertainty. Reaching the final destination is fulfilling. Simply because discovering your roots leads to self-discovery and brings a lasting peace.
Howze and Boulware love their adopted families dearly. Howze told viewers that she was adopted as a baby and was growing up believing that her adopted parents were her biological parents. Yet, as a child she always felt different and never stopped seeking the ultimate truth.
“As a child I always had feelings and instincts that told me otherwise,” said Howze.
Boulware always wanted to be one of these kids who had a mother and a father –like everybody else in a household. She knew who her biological parents were. She grew up in a household surrounded by grandparents and cousins until the age of seven, when she was adopted by her grandmother’s beloved friend from church. The friend kept a promise and took care of Boulware until the age of eighteen.
“There was always this feeling of belonging nowhere, just opposed to belonging everywhere. With all these families that I am connected to and helped raise me, yet I felt I belonged to nobody,” said Boulware.
The journey of both women was unique as they both conducted their ancestry search in an era where social media and genealogy services were unheard of.
Howze traced her birth certificate with her real name and her mother’s name. She searched for her mother, and at the age of thirty, Howze showed up at her mother’s job, who told her about the biological father. A pastor who was married and had children by the time Howze was conceived.
After living a decade of secrecy and uniting with her biological parents and siblings, Howze became the voice of the voiceless and used her story to inspire others and encourage them to look for their roots and be proud of it through her well-known podcast called “Secrets of the Churtched.”
“I want to get out there and give other people the freedom to tell their truth, walk in the truth, and accept who they are, and know who loves them and who they love,” said Howze.
Boulware always dreamed of having a brother. Her wish came true this year as she came to find out about her biological brother through both the AFRO Newspaper records and through a friend. Nowadays, Boulware and her brother are close siblings who continue to learn and adjust to this new transition.
Everyone is entitled to know the truth.
After all, the journey of seeking such truth is just as cherished as the destination.
Reconciling with the past is the way to rebuild the future. There is no shame nor conviction in knowing who we are and where we come from.
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