Descendants of Thomas Jefferson, Sally Hemmings Discuss Issues of Race in Lawrence University Presentation

APPLETON, WIS. -- Up until a few years ago, Julia Jefferson and Shay Banks-Young had no idea they were related. But through the advances of genetic testing, they discovered not only are they distant "cousins," but both are descendants of the once only-rumored relationship between President Thomas Jefferson and his slave, Sally Hemmings.

Jefferson, who is white, and Banks-Young, who is black, share their stories and lessons on race relations in the presentation, "The Affairs of Race in America: A Conversation in Black and White," Wednesday, Feb. 20 at Lawrence University. The program, at 8 p.m. in Riverview Lounge of the Lawrence Memorial Union, is free and open to the public.

Jefferson is the great-great-great-granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson, while Banks-Young is the president's great-great-great-great-granddaughter. Through a "conversation," the two women, who met for the first time on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in 1998, discuss their upbringings, trace their family trees and discuss the similarities and differences they share in their lives.

In addition to lecturing, Jefferson, a former English teacher, is an office furniture saleswoman in Staten Island, N.Y. Banks-Young, who makes her home in Columbus, Ohio, is a preventive health instructor and trainer for the American Red Cross and an award-winning poet. She also hosts a radio talk show, "Generational Harmony."