ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Georgia Tech students have helped a Savannah woman trace her lineage back six generations, despite the overwhelming impacts of slavery.

It is one thing to know history from a textbook, it is another to know your own: where you came from, what stories have made you who you are, what kind of people have come before you.

“Trace your ancestry. Even if it is not for you or you aren’t interested in it- maybe your kids are, maybe your grandkids will be one day,” said Kenyetta Harris, who is currently living in Savannah.

If you are an African American, tracing your ancestry can be brutal because of the vicious impacts of slavery.

“Everyone has the right to know where they come from, but not everyone has that luxury,” Georgia Tech student Haley Evans said.

Dr. Christopher Lawton is a professor at Georgia Tech. The school doesn’t have a history major, but passionate STEM students sign up to help him dig up history and tell the stories of enslaved peoples in Georgia. He has been doing this work for years.

“It gave me such a newfound appreciation for people who do this kind of work because of how hard it is,” Evans said.

“Some histories of the past that leave some stories out or some people out aren’t good for anyone,” Dr. Lawton said.

Dr. Lawton was connected with Kenyetta Harris, who has been trying to trace her roots.

“You are trying to put together this puzzle but eventually you realize you can’t put together all of the pieces because some of them are always going to be missing,” Evans said.

“It took me a moment. It really brought me to tears. I just couldn’t believe it,” Harris said.

The students in his class, with guidance, were able to dig six generations back into Kenyetta’s family.

“Listening to the students tell the story of Cyrus, Sukey, Emmanuel, Candace and all the other family members that were enslaved. It really brought me to tears,” Harris said.

“To know where you come from is a privilege. Having some names, stories, even an area to tie that to can really make a difference just in the way that you walk, the way that you talk and the way that you carry yourself throughout this world,” said Georgia Tech student Andrea Lewis.

“We are telling the story more fully and more openly and more accurately, I think that is good for everyone,” Dr. Lawton said.

By clicking on the Georgia Tech story, you can hear students reading the histories of several members of Kenyetta’s family.

The findings will be added to Dr. Lawton’s Seen/Unseen website. The website is set up for his book Seen/Unseen: Hidden Lives in a Community of Enslaved Georgians. You can go there now and learn about the histories of dozens of enslaved Georgians.

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ATLANTA – State School Superintendent Woods has released a statement on Georgia’s ranking the highest for teacher morale in the nation.

Release:

Education Week released its Teacher Morale Index, a “year-over-year, multifaceted gauge of how teachers feel about the profession” developed by the EdWeek Research Center. According to EdWeek, the index measures teachers’ levels of confidence and enthusiasm about their work based on responses to survey questions that were part of a larger, nationally representative poll of teachers conducted last fall.

The index shows Georgia with the highest teacher morale index score in the nation, at +47 compared to the national average of +18. State School Superintendent Richard Woods’ statement on the ranking is below:

“For more than a decade, my administration has worked with partners throughout the state to lower high-stakes testing requirements, raise pay, and listen to teacher voices. As a veteran educator, I have always aimed to be a voice for common-sense, classroom-centered policies. Education Week’s top ranking for Georgia is not an indicator that our work is done, but a reaffirmation of the importance of this direction in the months and years ahead. We must continue to support those on the front lines serving and supporting our students – our teachers.”

Learn more about teaching in Georgia via Teach in the Peach, Georgia’s just-launched one-stop-shop for teacher recruitment. Aimed at making Georgia the #1 state for teachers to teach, the Teach in the Peach website is designed to simplify and celebrate the pathway to becoming a Georgia public school teacher. It provides essential resources, including information about the benefits of teaching in Georgia, personalized certification pathways, a statewide interactive job map, and a career fit quiz to help individuals explore their potential in education.

It’s March, but snow might not be done in Georgia.

Northern portions of the state, mainly in the mountains, could see some overnight snow as the back end of a front pushes through.

Snow flurries could fall as far south as Lake Lanier, some forecasts project, while freeze and frost warnings have been administered across northern parts of the state.

“Snow showers are currently ongoing over portions of north Georgia and are expected to continue through the early morning hours,” the National Weather Service said Wednesday night. “Temperatures will drop quickly, turning wet, untreated pavement to dangerous, slick ice for the morning commute in the higher elevations.”

The NWS warns of black ice on the streets Thursday morning with snow of up to an inch in elevations 2,500 feet or more. A dusting of snow will occur in lower elevations.

Areas of impact include Rome, Gainesville, Dalton, Canton, Cartersville, Calhoun, Jefferson, Lafayette, Cumming, Dahlonega, Summerville, Chatsworth, Jasper, Ringgold, Cleveland, Dawsonville, Trenton, Ellijay, Blue Ridge, and Hiawassee.

Areas in western Georgia from Ringgold to LaGrange are under a freeze warning until 10 a.m. Thursday with temperatures as low as 25 degrees. Other portions of north Georgia such as Pickens, Union, Towns and White County are under a wind advisory until 10 a.m. with gusts up to 45 mph expected.

Will Athens be impacted by snow?

Athens is under a frost advisory Wednesday night until 10 a.m. Thursday as temperatures are expected to drop overnight to around 36 degrees.

A couple passing showers late night should pass through without severity, and no snow is expected.

When was the last snow in Georgia?

Georgia has seen a pair of snow events this year. Some areas as far south as Savannah were hit with snow and ice in January while another wave moved through Georgia in mid-February.

Ryne Dennis is the Deep South Connect Team Editor for Gannett/USA Today. Find him on X @RyneDennis and email at rdennis@onlineathens.com.