Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, and not just because of my mother’s mouth watering ham, juicy turkey and flavorful cornbread dressing, complete with tender greens, sweet yams and black-eyed peas.
What I cherish most are the rich conversations shared among my family while gathered around the table. Every year we gathered, we feasted on stories narrated by my father, James David, my mother, Otha, Aunt Doe and Uncle Barney.
Although we spent countless hours together throughout the year, Thanksgiving turned our home into a storytelling sanctuary, where the air was filled with laughter and, at times, with painful memories of my ancestors growing up…