# Former Slaves Looking for Family Members **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 21, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561 "2017-06-21T19:52:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561/1 "2017-06-21T19:52:15Z")
[This punched me right in the gut](https://twitter.com/ClintSmithIII/status/876935317676339200). I knew, but I didn’t really get it. I’m glad he shared it. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2017, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561/2 "2017-06-21T20:19:54Z")
There’s a very well-received [book](https://www.amazon.com/Help-Me-Find-My-People-ebook/dp/B0081TOOIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498076148&sr=8-1&keywords=Help+me+to+find+my+people) on this subject that looks like it would be worth reading. ---
**Author:** ![Marci\_Al](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Marci\_Al](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marci_Al)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561/3 "2017-06-22T04:43:14Z")
Back then, it must have looked as serious as Luna Lovegood asking for her things back before leaving for the summer break. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561/4 "2017-06-22T10:51:21Z")
> [@Marci\_Al](#): > > Back then, it must have looked as serious as Luna Lovegood asking for her things back before leaving for the summer break. I don’t speak Harry Potter that fluently, so have no clue how it relates to slavery. **ivylass** , yeah, tough stuff. Using the African-American day of emancipation, Juneteenth, to share historic classified ads where humans separated as property are trying to find each other really puts things into perspective. I can’t imagine. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561/5 "2017-06-22T12:05:11Z")
> [@SpoilerVirgin](#): > > There’s a very well-received [book](https://www.amazon.com/Help-Me-Find-My-People-ebook/dp/B0081TOOIQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498076148&sr=8-1&keywords=Help+me+to+find+my+people) on this subject that looks like it would be worth reading. Thanks…I’m going to have to look that up. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2017, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/former-slaves-looking-for-family-members/789561/6 "2017-06-23T00:08:35Z")
Not sure how it relates, but Luna Lovegood apparently has her stuff taken as a prank during the school year, but always gets it back at the very end of the year. She puts up signs asking them to return her stuff because she really needs it. Maybe they’re trying to say that the signs didn’t matter? But the foregone conclusion is different. Luna always gets her stuff back, but the slaves would likely never see their family again, unlike the Addy books. American Girl reference. The family that’s still alive all get back together by the end. Because it’s a book for little girls, and they try to have at least somewhat happy endings.