The Other Madisons: A Book Review

The President Had a Black Family

I am griot, master of eloquence, the vessel of speech, the memory of mankind. I speak no untruths. This is the word of my father and my father’s father. Listen to me, those who want to know. From my mouth, you will hear the history of your ancestors. — West African griot opening chant

Thirty-six miles from Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello lies the estate of the fourth President, James Madison. Besides both being Virginians and plantation owners, the two had other things in common. They enslaved people; Jefferson over six hundred during his lifetime and Madison over a hundred. Their legacies were both hounded by the oral traditions of the enslaved that identified their Black children long before their families would admit it.

I’ve read many books that inform me, as this one has. Few that touch me so personally. Bettye Kearse’s “The Other Madisons” combines her family’s oral tradition with steadfast research to document the stories passed down from her African and American descendants. While the story is of her family, descended from slaves and a President.

Bettye’s writing puts you in the places she describes. Her stories bring to life her ancestors, beginning with Mandy, who was captured in West Africa and ultimately sold to and raped by James Madison, Sr…