Rooted in Love, Lifted in Strength Documentary

November 02, 2023

The American south has been a hostile place for Black people for much of this country's history. In the 1840s, some Black families decided to look for something better. They undertook a dangerous journey to the north and west to Indiana, and one of the most notable places where they settled was in Grant County, northeast of Indianapolis. Two of the families who ended up there were the Weavers and the Pettifords. The families and their descendants are the subject of the documentary “Rooted In Love, Lifted in Strength” from Loving Life Productions.

LaKesha Lorene is the producer of the documentary, and Charo Speikes-Boyd is president of the Pettiford-Weaver Family Trust. They spoke to WFYI’s Ray Steele about the family’s legacy and an upcoming screening of the documentary at the Spirit & Place Festival in Indianapolis.

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