Whilst the discovery of Hemings’ room gave closure to some, it also gave answers which were less than satisfactory. Gayle Jessup White, Sally Hemings’ distance niece notes that “as an African-American descendant, I have mixed feelings – Thomas Jefferson was a slaveholder.” White, who works as Monticello’s Community Engagement Officer, is within her rights to feel uneasy, what with her father, the former U.S. president, and her mother, a lowly slave. The social differences were so great that it leads one to believe that Jefferson conveniently held Hemings as property and did not bother to think of the consequences of his desires.

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White, as an African-American woman appreciates the work of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, as, “for too long our history has been ignored.” Indeed, the discovery shed light on the real truth behind Monticello, and that this sort of arrangement may have been more common spread than initially believed. “Some people still don’t want to admit that the Civil War was fought over slavery. We need to face history head-on and face the blemish of slavery and that’s what we’re doing at Monticello.” White is not alone, and, joined by her colleagues they seek to unveil more truths about the property and its history.