Cross-Examining the Dead: What My Family History Taught Me About Race, Truth, and Healing

What happens when you discover that the people in your family history aren't exactly who you thought they were?In this powerful and deeply personal episode of Unwrapped With Gift, Gift sits down with Steve Jensen, former Texas trial attorney, public speaker, blogger, and author of Healing White History, for an honest conversation about race, family history, truth, responsibility, and healing.Steve spent more than two decades in the courtroom questioning evidence, challenging narratives, and demanding the truth. But eventually, he turned those same skills toward his own family tree.What he discovered forced him to confront uncomfortable truths about ancestors connected to slavery, Confederate ideology, racial oppression, and the suppression of Black political power.Rather than hide from that history, Steve chose to investigate it.In this conversation, he explains his unusual approach of "cross-examining" his ancestors—imagining conversations with them and confronting the beliefs and choices they made. He also explores the difference between inherited guilt and personal responsibility, the power of learning your own history, and how confronting uncomfortable truths can become a pathway toward healing.Together, Gift and Steve explore questions such as:What happens when family history challenges our identity?How can we acknowledge ancestral wrongdoing without being consumed by guilt?Why does learning our history affect us differently from simply learning history?Can understanding the past help us create a different future?What does it mean to take responsibility for the legacy we inherit?How can families tell the truth while still acknowledging love and complexity?What can we teach the next generation about difficult family histories?This isn't simply a conversation about the past.It's about what we choose to do with the truth once we discover it.Because sometimes healing begins when we stop protecting the story we inherited and become brave enough to examine it.🎙️ Guest: Steve JensenFormer Texas Trial Attorney | Speaker | Blogger | Author of Healing White History🎧 Tune in to Unwrapped With Gift for a conversation about confronting history, challenging inherited narratives, and choosing what kind of legacy we leave for the generations that come after us.Call to ActionCome to Healing White History on Substack. It's free. And when you get there, download the Framework for Healing Your Own White History — seven steps for finding your own ancestors and confronting them yourself. This isn't a spectator sport. I did this work on my own family, and I'll help you do it on yours.