Countless people grow up without any knowledge about their ancestors or where they came from. For many African American families, this is because their lineage was fragmented by a history of enslavement, without ever having the chance to reunite. With the help of John Baker, thousands of African American lineages have been pieced back together and connected once again.

When Baker was in the 7th grade, he found a photo of four enslaved persons in one of his school textbooks. His grandmother informed him that these four people were actually her grandparents that were born on the Wessyngton Plantation. Baker became interested in the history of the plantation, so he began to interview other descendants of both enslaved persons and owners of the plantations. He also collected hundreds of photos and documents detailing the history of these individuals. This is what eventually led Baker to take it upon himself to archive and preserve all the research he had collected.

Baker went on to publish The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation: Stories of My Family’s Journey to Freedom, a chronicle of not only his own family’s history, but also that of hundreds of enslaved persons and their descendants. His book garnered much attention, leading many different people to reach out to Baker in the hopes of finding out more about their ancestry. According to Baker, the book even received praise from Queen Elizabeth and Bill Clinton. Each time someone approaches Baker for help, he asks for their ancestors’ names. With a few names alone, Baker is able to find these individuals somewhere on a family tree line and connect it all the way back to the client. At times, it feels like he may know more about your own life than you do!

When asked to summarize in three words what it’s like to volunteer, Baker responded with “Lead by example.” His biggest motivation to volunteer is to give back to the community that helped him attain the opportunities he has today. He encourages anyone who has ever considered volunteering with organizations to get out there and help others. The biggest reward you could ever receive, he says, is “the benefit of helping others.” 

Doing Good’s opportunity to speak with John Baker provided us with an excellent look into the busy life of someone who does so much to help as many as they can. You can learn more about John Baker and his endeavors on his website, Wessyngton.com, as well as his documentary. Doing Good had the privilege of speaking with John Baker about his volunteer experience on the Doing Good podcast. Listen to the full interview on Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon, or Red Circle.

Written by: Ivan Lagunas