Q&A with Bettye Kearse

In celebration of Black Philanthropy Month, we are honored to speak with Dr. Bettye Kearse, an esteemed author whose book "The Other Madisons - The Lost History of a President's Black Family" has shed light on the untold stories of African-American history. As one of the inaugural committee members of the Santa Fe Community Foundation's Empower! Black Futures Community Fund, Dr. Kearse is at the forefront of efforts to uplift and support Black communities through targeted philanthropic initiatives.

In your book, "The Other Madisons," you explore your family's complex legacy as descendants of both a founding father and an enslaved woman. How has this dual heritage shaped your understanding of identity and influenced your approach to storytelling?

According to eight generations of my family’s griots (men) and griottes (women), we descend from the enslaved cook Coreen and her enslaver, and half-brother, President James Madison. As children, we are taught to be proud of this legacy and to recite the credo “Always remember—You’re a Madison. You come from African slaves and a president.” But as adults, we become aware of the credo’s implicit message: Some of our ancestors were victims of power and lust, and the perpetrators were family too. This message reveals that every member of my African American family, the Other Madisons (as my grandfather dubbed us) is a product of rape and incest.

Yet, we are indeed a family. At small family gatherings and big reunions, the adults might argue about whether Madison was both great and good. We all agree he was great, but some of us contend that a good man does not own people, regardless of what the standards of the times allowed. In the end, the stories we tell our children are about their potential for greatness that came not only from President Madison but from their enslaved ancestors too.

In your exploration of your family's legacy, what are the broader implications you see for how American history is taught and understood, particularly concerning the narratives of enslaved individuals and their descendants?

American history keeps secrets, but secrets are hard to keep. Though the textbooks our children are given to read are Eurocentric and marginalize the role that people of African descent have always played in making America powerful and rich, we are the weft and warp of everything this nation has produced.

Your book ties the legacy of slavery to contemporary issues of race and identity. In what ways do you hope 'The Other Madisons' will contribute to current conversations about race and heritage in America?
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In recounting the struggles, perseverance, and contributions of eight generations of my family, The Other Madisons illustrates that enslaved Africans were gifted with inner strength and a sense of hope, by which they endured enslavement, and talents, by which they contributed mightily to America in every area of human endeavor. The most important message of the book is that when enslaved people passed away, they did not take their gifts with them to the grave; instead, they passed them down to their descendants, including those of us alive today and to those to come. It is my hope that The Other Madisons will inspire African Americans to nurture and employ their own inner strengths and talents not only to fulfill their hopes but, like their enslaved ancestors, to make contributions that will be recognized and celebrated by all Americans.

Please share a personal experience or early memory of philanthropy "in action" that inspired/influenced you.

Each Sunday morning, when I was kindergarten and elementary school, I would joyfully place a few coins onto a small cotton handkerchief, which my mother would then tie into a tiny bundle for me to carry to church. When the collection plate came to me, I would untie the bundle and drop the coins into the plate, very proud to give to my church, just like the grown-ups around me.

In Sunday School, I learned a Scripture that said, “From those who have received much from God, much is expected.” One of the blessings I received was a good public school education. Learning to read delivered knowledge and opened worlds to me.

Eventually, I became a pediatrician and practiced in Boston. I was disheartened to discover that the reading skills of several of my patients were neither strong enough for these young people to succeed in school nor useful enough for them to navigate the world around them. They were both locked out and locked in.

Before retiring, I advocated for my patients in their schools, donated books to local libraries, and financially supported library reading programs. Now retired and living in Santa Fe, I have organized a fundraiser for Reading Quest, a local nonprofit that helps children who have trouble reading so that they will be free to pursue whatever life-path they choose.

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