Reconstructing a family narrative before and after Reconstruction

This week on January 26th I had the opportunity to present a program for alumni of my Alma mater, Whitman College located in Walla Walla, WA. In this covid environment ,with distant learning, the faculty decided to come up with an academic theme for the year titled 'Race, Violence and Health'. My presentation fits in to that theme in that my great grandfather, spent a large portion of his life living and surviving in New Orleans, Louisiana in the middle 19th century. He served in the U.S.C.T. Infantry as a teamster. He served as a member of the Metropolitan Police force between 1869 and 1877 when racial tension in NOLA was at a peak. My great grandfather also was elected as a member of the 1876 Electoral College from Louisiana which played a pivotal role in selecting the 19th President of the United States. The video presentation uses a pinch of genealogy 101 couples it with my family history research to provide a narrative for this amazing ancestor. The program also fills gaps in our knowledge about Reconstruction history that are rarely, if ever, taught or discussed in the classroom.