Destination Peach

Where Reality and Inspiration Meet

Daughter Of…

Left to right: My mom, me, my grandma

Hey-Heyy Beautiful People,

Respectfully, I have been resting, healing, and giving energy to frequencies deserving of my energy. Part of my resting assignment has been watching creative content nurturing to my soul. An amazing body of work I have been watching repeatedly has been the documentary, In Our Mothers’ Gardens directed By Shantrelle P. Lewis. The documentary speaks to the narratives of Black Women juxtaposed with conversations of healing, spirituality, family lineage, and mother-daughter relationships.

Listen, the film was healing. The film made me feel seen and heard. To see beautiful Black women eloquently discussing the intersections in which Black women exists cultivated a safe space I didn’t know I needed. The film was a whole sermon! There were many notable moments. In the film I noticed, the orators said the names of their ancestors so proudly and so boldly!

As the orators called out their ancestors, I felt guilt. I felt guilt in not being able to call out the name of my ancestors. So, in true Peach fashion I began to research. I did my Googles. I found the names of my maternal ancestors. To be honest, my ancestors were ready for me to find them. My genealogy search was a seamless process. Their names appeared easily!

The women in my family are strong, bold, creative, badass, spiritual… I could go on and on. From Oklahoma to Alabama to Chicago…these Afro-Indigenous (Shawnee-Cherokee) women didn’t take no shit.

I say all this to say, I will forever call my ancestors!

I am Dr. Peach daughter of…

Bebe daughter of…

Essie Mae McClure daughter of… (My Grandmother)

Thelma Claudia Lee daughter of… (My Great-Grandmother)

Nettie M. Cox (Lee) daughter of… (My Great-Great-Grandmother)

Dora Cox… (My Great-Great-Great-Grandmother)

These are a few of the notable women shoulders I stand on! These are the women who sacrificed for me to be in my very position. I will continue to speak their names. Also, please belief I will continue researching the paternal and maternal sides of my mother’s and father’s lineage, as those ancestors names deserved to be called as well.

If you takeaway nothing from this blog post takeaway the following, watch the film In Our Mothers Gardens and research/learn who your ancestors are.

Until next time,

-Dr. Peach

Genealogy is Important

My grandmother Essie Mae McClure (Doyle) and I

A few years back I began the quest to find out more information about my family history. Recently, I’ve made great progress in my genealogy search. My genealogy searches have been connected to the maternal side of my mother’s family.

The beautiful queen you see pictured above is my grandmother Essie Mae McClure (Doyle). She is my mother’s mom. My grandmother was and still is a strong woman. She had 16 kids. Made it from Birmingham to Chicago. She was the brains and backbone to the many great things my grandfather (on my mother’s side) accomplished.

When my grandmother transitioned over, I was with her when she passed and have been deeply connected to her ever since. With her passing, I always wanted to my grandmother’s family story. Keeping in mind, she transitioned when I was two years old.

Yes, stories have been shared in our family. In Black families there are certain things we just don’t talk about, which needs to stop. Hence, I am the change agent in my family. I disrupt generational patterns to get us in a better space of healing. Back to the stories…not much was shared about her mother/father, her grandparents, her indigenous roots, and need to know family stories. To know her story is to know my family truth.

I’m intrigued to know my history. I’ve always wanted to know where I come from. I’ve always wanted to know who are the ancestors standing behind me, protecting me and guiding me. I just wanted or shall I say needed to know. In my recent searches, I was able to find the exact indigenous tribe my grandmother’s linage was connected to, and have made progress on finding ancestors who may have been enslaved.

The genealogy search is a continuous process. Some times I can find information and sometimes I don’t. Sometimes when doing research I find information that’s overwhelming, which comes with family history. That said, it’s important to know who we are. Knowing who we are and where we come from gives you esteem to keep pushing in life. What I know for sure is when the ancestors are ready for you to find them, they will appear.

My research still continues this is the beginning. Let’s continue the conversation below. For those who are into genealogy how has your search been?

Until next time,

-Peach