Ancestry announced a few days ago the premiere of a new film, A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson, which brings to light a family reunion over a century in the making.
The short documentary follows one family’s journey to reunite with relatives of their ancestor, Hawkins Wilson, who was born into slavery and torn from his family as a young boy.
It was released Friday, ahead of Juneteenth (today), which commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
Hawkins Wilson. Photo: Ancestry.
A Dream Delivered is hosted by actor Anthony Anderson (Black-ish, Law & Order) and features historian and television host Henry Louis Gates Jr. Rashidi Harper directed the movie, which was produced by Velocity, Paramount’s in-house branded content studio.
Wilson’s letters were discovered in Ancestry’s digitized collection of more than 3.5 million Freedmen’s Bureau records, which is free to explore.
After the Civil War ended in 1865, the US Congress created the Freedmen’s Bureau to help nearly four million newly freed people manage their transition to citizenship by providing assistance with education, work, medical care, and finding lost family. As a grown, newly freed man nearly 25 years later, Hawkins Wilson sent letters to the Freedmen’s Bureau desperately seeking assistance locating his siblings. Unfortunately, the letters were never delivered and his story, like many others, was suspended in time, until now.
“I believe you can’t know who you are without knowing where you come from,” said Anthony Anderson. “A few years ago, I began tracing my own family’s roots and those discoveries have propelled me forward ever since – not just in my career, but also who I am personally. I stand on the shoulders of ancestors who helped guide my path and I’m grateful and humbled by that knowledge. I’m proud to be a part of this film to help show what’s possible to unlock, especially for the Black community.”
In the film, Dr. Gates contextualizes this complex chapter in history and discusses the historical records and DNA research tools available for Black Americans to find their lost history.
“A Dream Delivered: The Lost Letters of Hawkins Wilson can inspire an entire generation to explore what they didn’t believe was possible,” said Dr. Gates. “I have been studying genealogy for more than 60 years and there’s no denying family history can be challenging for Black Americans, but there’s never been a more important time to discover our truths. The more we uncover our history as a society, the more we can recognize our shared humanity.”
Professional genealogist Nicka Sewell-Smith guides Wilson’s descendants, mother-daughter duo Kelley and Marie, on their journey exploring Wilson’s life and legacy.
Visit Ancestry.com/Blackhistory (or click on YouTube below) to watch the film and learn more.
