>> DANA: FOR MANY AMERICANS, THE RICH HISTORY OF THEIR FAMILY AND LEGACY OF THEIR ANCESTORS IS A PART OF WHAT THEY LEARNED FROM THEIR PARENTS GROWING UP.

OUR NEXT GUEST DID NOT HAVE THAT EXPERIENCE.

GROWING UP AS A WHITE PERSON ON THE WEST COAST, SHE DIDN'T HAVE MANY FAMILY CONNECTIONS OUTSIDE OF HER PARENTS.

AS AN ADULT, SHE DISCOVERED A VAST FAMILY TREE AND HISTORIC LEGACY THAT LED HER TO, AMONG OTHER PLACES, MINNESOTA.

THAT INCLUDES FOUR GENERATIONS OF LAWYERS, TWO ON EACH SIDE OF THE COLOR LINE.

HER RESEARCH ALSO LED TO, AMONG OTHER PLACES, MINNESOTA WE'RE GOING TO PICK UP THE REST OF THE STORY WITH BARBARA HILYER, AUTHOR OF "LEGACY LOST: PASSING ACROSS THE COLOR LINE."

WELCOME TO MINNESOTA AND TO "ALMANAC."

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.

IT'S GREAT TO BE HERE.

GLALD SO YOU HAVE ROOTS IN MINNESOTA AND YOU'RE EXPLORING THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME.

TELL US WHAT YOU FOUND SO FAR.

>> WELL DO NOW KNOW THAT I HAVE ROOTS IN MINNESOTA.

I SPENT MY LIFE NOT KNOWING THAT.

BUT I'VE HAD A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE HERE.

AND I WOULD HAVE TO SAY THAT THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF IT HAS BEEN FOR ME COMING FROM THE WEST COAST, WHERE MY FAMILY IS WHITE, AND COMING HERE, WHERE I'M CLEARLY ENSCONCED IN A VERY ACCOMPLISHED AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY IS A VERY INTERESTING JOURNEY.

>> Dana: YEAH.

AND NOT JUST MINNESOTA INTERESTING.

>> YES, EXACTLY.

AMERICAN INTERESTING.

[ Laughter ] >> Eric: LET'S GO BACK TO -- YOUR FATHER HAD TO MAKE AN IMPORTANT DECISION ABOUT HIS HERITAGE, I GUESS YOU'D SAY.

AND DID THE DEPRESSION FORMULATE THAT?

>> ELL, I WOULD SAY YES.

MY GRANDFATHER WAS LAWYER HERE.

AND MY FATHER AND MY AUNT GREW UP HERE.

AND AT THAT TIME, MY GRANDFATHER, GAIL PILLSBURY HILYER WAS A VERY ACCOMPLISHED LAWYER, FIRST SECRETARY OF THE NAACP, FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN TO RUN FOR A JUDGE IN 1925.

HE WAS A RISING STAR IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

BUT THE DEPRESSION RUINED HIS CAREER.

AND THEY -- HE HAD TO LEAVE.

AND HE LEFT AND WENT TO THE EAST COAST WHERE HE BEGAN PASSING AS WHITE IN THE EARLY 1940s.

THE SAME THEN FOR MY FATHER.

MY FATHER MADE THAT DECISION TO LEAVE MINNEAPOLIS.

HE GREW UP HERE, GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL HERE.

LEFT MINNEAPOLIS, JOINED THE MERCHANT MARINES AND STARTED IDENTIFYING AS WHITE.

MOVED TO THE WEST COAST WHERE HE RAISED US AS WHITE.

COMPLETELY CUT FF FROM THE REST OF THE FAMILY.

BUT HIS SISTER, HELENE HAIL, ALSO GREW UP HERE IN MINNEAPOLIS.

GRADUATED FROM HIGH SCHOOL, WENT TO HE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA.

COULDN'T FIND WORK HERE.

IN THE 1940s AS AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN.

SO SHE LEFT.

AND ENDED UP NOT BEING VERY DISILLUSIONED WITH RACE ON THE MAINLAND AND SHE MOVED TO HAWAII WHERE SHE HAD A STORIED POLITICAL CAREER.

SO THE FAMILY SPLIT ACROSS THE COLOR LINE IN THE '40s WHERE MY DAD ENDED UP ON THE WHITE SIDE AND THAT'S WHERE WE RAISES AND I DIDN'T KNOW ANY OF THIS.

>> Dana: AND YOU FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS LATER ON LIFE SORT OF THE RECENTLY.

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THIS BIIF YOU ARE OCCASION IN YOUR FAMILY REE?

>> IT'S NOT SO RECENTLY NOW, BUT IT ONLY UNFOLDED OVER TIME.

I ONLY FOUND OUT A LITTLE BIT.

IN 1988, MY STEPMOTHER, MY DAD HAD BEEN DEAD FOR TEN YEARS, MY STEPMOTHER TOLD ME THAT MY FATHER WAS FROM AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY IN MINNEAPOLIS AND SHE TOLD ME THAT HE HAD A SISTER WHO WAS STILL ALIVE IN HAWAII.

SO I IMMEDIATELY NEEDED TO GO TO HAWAII TO MEET HIS SISTER.

HELENE HALE AT THE TIME.

SHE'D BEEN ON THE COVER OF EBONY MAGAZINE IN THE 1963.

SHE WAS THE NIECE OF RALE ANTICIPATE BUNCH.

ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH HIM?

OKAY, SO SHE WAS QUITE A PERSONA.

AND SHE WAS VERY WILLING TO BE OPEN WITH ME.

SHE HADN'T TALKED TO MY AD IN 30 YEARS, BUT SHE WAS VERY WILLING TO BE OPEN AND TELL THE FAMILY STORY.

AND SO I ENDED UP BEING IN HER WORLD FOR ABOUT 25 YEARS AND KNOWING WHAT SHE KNEW, AND THEN AFTER HE DIED, I WENT FURTHER TO FIND UT WHERE THIS ALL WENT.

>> Eric: DO YOU FEEL LIKE YOU MISSED SOME OF YOUR HERITAGE?

>> THAT'S AN INTERESTING STORY.

I WOULD SAY YES.

BUT I'M GRATEFUL THAT I GOT TO CAPTURE IT IN TIME.

LIKE SOME OF IT I MISSED, I'M SAD THAT I MISSED KNOWING MY GRANDFATHER.

HE'S BURIED IN HAWAII.

AND BECAUSE HE LIVED WITH HER AT THE END OF HIS LIFE.

AND I PUT FLOWERS ON HIS GRAVE EVERY YEAR AND I NEVER MET HIM.

BUT HE WAS ALIVE UNTIL I WAS 24.

SO THAT MAKES ME SAD.

BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, I'M SO GRATEFUL THAT I CAUGHT HELENE WHERE I STILL HAD 25 YEARS WITH HER.

IT DOESN'T DO ANY GOOD TO BE SORRY ABOUT THE ONES THAT YOU DIDN'T GET.

>> Dana: HOW DID THIS CHANGE THE WAY THAT YOU IDENTIFY OR LIKE YOU UNDERSTAND YOURSELF.

>> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I WISH I HAD A GOOD ANSWER.

[ Laughter ] I TAKE LIFE AS IT COMES.

YOU KNOW?

AND I AM WHO I AM.

I'M A SUM TOTAL OF THE EXPERIENCES THAT I'VE HAD.

AND I HAVE A NATURAL SENSE OF OPTIMISM AND A NATURAL SENSE OF HUMOR.

SO ALL I CAN SAY IS IT'S BEEN A VERY INTERESTING RIDE.

>> Eric: YOU WANT READERS TO COME AWAY WITH WHAT POINT FROM THIS?

>> I WANT THEM TO COME AWAY WITH THE FACT THAT WE NEED TO TELL OUR TRUE STORIES AND HISTORY NEEDS TO INCLUDE EVERYONE'S STORY.

AND WE NEED TO GET BEYOND THIS PART OF OUR PAST WHICH WE'RE NOW REVISITING AGAIN, WHERE WE ISOLATE WHO GETS TO TELL THE STORIES AND WHAT THE TRUTH IS.

WE NEED TO ALL BE OUT THERE AND HEAR EVERYONE'S STORIES.

>> Dana: I UNDERSTAND YOU GOT TO VISIT YOUR DAD'S CHILDHOOD HOME AS PART OF COMING TO MINNESOTA.

CAN YOU TALK ABOUT THAT?

WHAT'S THAT BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

WELL, IT JUST CAME ON A FLUKE.

BRENDAN WAS TOURING ME AROUND, AND I HAD THE ADDRESS OF THE HOUSE.

AND WE DROVE BY IT.

IT'S QUITE A NICE OLD HOME.

AND I JUST DECIDED TO KNOCK TO ON THE DOOR.

SO I KNOCKED ON THE DOOR AND THE WOMAN OPENED THE DOOR AND I SAID MY DAD GREW UP HERE AND SHE SAID, WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME?

IN?

SO THAT WAS WONDERFUL.

SHE WENT AND GOT THE DOCUMENTS TO PROVE TO US THAT INDEED THEY HAD LIVED, THIS AFRICAN-AMERICAN FAMILY HAD LIVED IN THIS HOUSE IN A WHITE NEIGHBORHOOD IN THE 1920s AND 1930s.

AND THEN I HAD ENOUGH INFORMATION FROM MY AUNT HELENE WHO HAD TOLD ME ABOUT HOW THEY GREW UP IN THEIR HOUSE AND WHERE HEY PLAYED THAT IT TOTALLY MATCHED THAT IT WAS THAT HOUSE.

>> Eric: MINNESOTA NICE LIVES.

>> MINNESOTA NICE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

>> Eric: GIVE US THE NAME OF THE BOOK AND YOU CAN FIND IT ON AMAZON.

>> I DON'T LIKE AMAZON, BUT YOU CAN FIND IT AT MAINERS