Akanke proudly displayed a picture of a 1910 federal grand jury that shows her ancestor Homer Cyprien. ``He was the first Black man invited to sit on a federal grand jury in Louisiana,'' she said.
Discoveries like that, and the sense of family history they give a child, are important for the city of New Orleans, said Mayor Ray Nagin.
``This may be one of the keys for unlocking what is one of the biggest problems in our city,'' he said. ``Our young men, more than anyone else, need to know their history. They are the ones dropping out of school and getting into drugs and crime and shooting each other.''
Harrell-Miller said she welcomes White campers next summer. She said it is easier for people with European ancestors to trace their genealogy because records have been better preserved, she said.
— Associated Press
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