Historian Martha S. Jones' new memoir explores North Carolina roots and biracial heritage

瓜神app

Race, Class & Communities

The word "Due" read from top-down and "South" left-right, with the U shared between them. Reminiscent of a compass.

Due South

Historian Martha S. Jones' new memoir explores North Carolina roots and biracial heritage

By Celeste Headlee,

Stacia Brown

Published March 5, 2025 at 12:23 PM EST

Renowned historian has researched five generations of her family鈥檚 history and discovered the complicated relationship with race that has remained a cross-generational through-line.

With deep ties to North Carolina, Jones鈥� family story includes early 19th鈥痗entury interracial marriage, accounts of racial passing and a grandfather who was the of Bennett College in Greensboro.

Guest

Martha S. Jones, author of

Due South

Celeste Headlee

See stories by Celeste Headlee

Stacia Brown

Stacia L. Brown is a writer and audio storyteller who has worked in public media since 2016, when she partnered with the Association of Independents in Radio and Baltimore's WEAA 88.9 to create The Rise of Charm City, a narrative podcast that centered community oral histories. She has worked for WAMU鈥檚 daily news radio program, 1A, as well as 瓜神app鈥檚 The State of Things. Stacia was a producer for 瓜神app's award-winning series, Great Grief with Nnenna Freelon and a co-creator of the station's first children's literacy podcast, The Story Stables. She served as a senior producer for two Ten Percent Happier podcasts, Childproof and More Than a Feeling. In early 2023, she was interim executive producer for WNYC鈥檚 The Takeaway.

See stories by Stacia Brown