A journalist’s exploration of her family’s past has uncovered how one relative’s choice a hundred years ago created a racial divide that split their family for generations.
Susan Saulny, a journalist, began investigating her family history after learning about Pope Leo’s Black ancestry. Her research focused on a Creole great-uncle who relocated to Chicago and made the decision to live as a white person, never returning to his original home.
The great-uncle’s choice to pass as white in his new city created a permanent separation within the family structure. Saulny has documented her efforts to bridge this century-old gap and bring the divided family branches back together.
Her investigation reveals how a single decision made decades ago continues to impact family relationships and identity across multiple generations.
