Life on the Color Line, by Gregory Howard Williams, is a perfect example of how family history can greatly effect and change a person's life. In this nonfiction novel the main character, also the author, discovers that his father is black, when he had believed his whole life that he and his father were both white. Thus he now had to come to the realization that he was also black. He and his younger brother are suddenly forced to move and live with their aunt to a new area where they are treated as blacks. Because he was unaware of his black family history, the author's life instantly changes as his newfound racial identity has many negative implications on how he is perceived and treated by society.
Rap is another example that illustrates how oral stories can be passed on through generations.
Rap is used today to express certain injustices within society and can be compared to songs slaves would sing while working in the fields. Both forms of music pass on thoughts, feelings, stories, etc. to other people. Although only a few members of our class were born at this time, more than likely, the entire class can remember some of the lyrics to this song. This helps to show how even songs can be passed on, through time, as a form of oral tradition. In doing this project, we all learned how important oral tradition can be, not only to ourselves, but to society as a whole.