The 4th great-granddaughter of whipped Peter discusses the movie Emancipation with Dr. Antoinette Harrell

Dr. Antoinette Harrell interviewing Bobbie Seymour 

I recently spoke with Kathe Hambrick, founder of the River Road Museum, about a woman named Bobbie Seymour, whois the 4th great granddaughter of Aaron Peter Jackson aka Peter Gordon. I was asked by Kathe if I would assist Bobbie in getting past her brick wall regarding her 4th great grandfather Peter. Our conversation briefly focused on Will Smith's upcoming film, Emancipation, and how the family wasn't consulted about Peter.

Like Bobbie, I felt the same way earlier this year when I watched the movie "Alice," which was based on a story I discovered 20 years ago. In 1963, a woman named Mae Louise Wall Miller escaped slavery with her family. Despite the fact that it was inspired by my research, no one from the production team contacted me to discuss my research.

Contacting the families or researchers would provide the film producers with so much information about the subject. The movie Alice was criticized for not adding up after Mae ran to her freedom, as many people pointed out. Mae's life after she escaped would have been more interesting if the producers had known more about it. 

Aaron Peter Jackson aka Peter Gordon
Library of Congress

The Jackson family is a very large family, and many Jackson family members still live in Port Hudson. "I wish they would have searched around to talk with some of Aaron Peter Jackson's descendants," said Bobbie. We weren't difficult to find if only they would have spent sometime searching for us she said.  I am happy to see that his tory is being told in the end said Bobbie

We talked for about an hour during our interview. Her coffee table was covered with pictures and documents of her grandfather Peter and other family members. Additionally, she showed photographs that she inherited from a family member illustrating her Cherokee heritage. During our visit, Bobbie showed me a picture of Ruby, her 5th great grandmother, a full blooded Cherokee. Ruby was Peter's mother-in-law. Ruby was from Summit, Mississippi.

I asked Bobbie if she thought she would be emotional watching Emancipation. I warned her that the reenactment of the beatings and inhumane treatment may be difficult to watch. There are movies that can make you cry if they touch you in a particular way. If a movie is about your family member and you are watching inhumane treatment, the experience is personal. In any case, that could be a very difficult situation. The Jackson's are strong people she said. We don't allow anything to hold us down. If something knocks us down, we get right back up. That was we inherited from Peter, determination, courage, and hold on to God no matter what we are faced with Bobbie said.

She described the Jacksons as strong people. There is  nothing that can hold us back. No matter what knocks us down, we bounce right back up. As Bobbie said, it was determination, courage, and holding on to God no matter what that we were facing that we inherited from Peter.  Her research revealed his name, something that has been a little confusing down through the decades. There are a few things that Bobbie want people to know first is his name. His name isn't Peter Gordon, his name is Aaron Peter Jackson.
Secondly he wasn't born in Louisiana. He was born in Virginia and came to Louisiana as a slave. He was owned by Andrew Jackson on a plantation in Tennessee according the research of Bobbie. Andrew Jackson owned The Hermitage plantation. 

Bobbie plans to watch the movie with family and friends. I will contact Bobbie after she see the movie and get her thoughts about the movie. I spoke with the editor of The Drum Newspaper concerning interviewing Bobbie about her family history and thoughts about the upcoming meeting.  There was a time when we didn't have the platforms to tell our own stories. The only thing Bobbie feels she has achieved is to tell her own story.