2 men linked through slavery use experience to spark community conversations

CHARLOTTE — After two former classmates discovered their past was intertwined through slavery, they’re starting important conversations in their community.

It wasn’t enough to just share their story as seen in the documentary “A Binding Truth.” Instead, the two men are using their lived experience as a catalyst to facilitate conversations many would shy away from.

“We didn’t want this to be just about the film,” said Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick. “Watch the film — nice film — and move on. We really wanted to take the next step.”

Kirkpatrick is a Grier Heights native and all-American football star. He once helped integrate the predominately white Myers Park High School, but not without controversy, racism, and eventually, a class action lawsuit.

More than 50 years later, Kirkpatrick discovered it was no coincidence he shared the same last name with a white classmate, H.D. Kirkpatrick. His family once owned Jimmie Lee’s during slavery.

“I found myself getting angrier as I peeled this back, in part because my family’s slaveholding history was extensive,” H.D. Kirkpatrick said. “The anger has fueled my intense desire to know the truth.”

It’s been nearly a decade since the two made the initial discovery.

Since then, they’ve been traveling the country sharing their story, while detailing how they’ve navigated every emotion from anger to guilt.

The two recently formed Stirring the Ashes, LLC to further their mission. They’ve partnered with Charlotte-based consultant Bob Johnson.

“If we can’t talk about it then we can’t change it,” Johnson said.

He married their story with his patented process at RP3 Strategies.

“As we’ve done this over the years, we’re never trying to push people to an answer. And that’s one of the things many people come looking for,” Johnson said.

“I think what we’re doing is giving people the wherewithal to ask better questions.”

In the past week, two Charlotte-area churches signed on to host a screening of the documentary, followed by a community conversation.

The night started with a screening of the film. Then, they opened the floor to talk about it.

“Well, you have to convey that it’s safe to take a risk,” H.D. Kirkpatrick said.

“Our relationship has blossomed because we’ve had some tough conversations,” he added. “My capacity as a white male who’s carrying the mantle of white privilege, I walk through life and have walked through life in a way that’s very different from Jimmie. He’s educated me about that in a really ... helpful way.”

“Everybody needs to be a part of this conversation, whether you agree with it,” Jimmie Lee Kirkpatrick said. “But to be able to have conversations with respect and dignity included I think is the way to go. Hopefully, we can model some of that.”

(WATCH BELOW: NC State student creates site map of Charlotte’s lost slavery history)

NC State student creates site map of Charlotte’s lost slavery history

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