Thanks to Ancestry, Six Strangers Learn How They're Connected Via the Underground Railroad

Their family timelines all meet at Brooklyn's Plymouth Church

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Last December, six strangers were invited by Ancestry to a small tour in Brooklyn, where they assumed they would uncover some fascinating aspects of their family histories. What they didn’t know was just how connected they are to each other, bound together by the deeply webbed histories of their ancestors.

Railroad Ties documents the highly emotional experience in a 23-minute film directed by Sacha Jenkins, which premiered this past Sunday at the Sundance Festival.

There is a central idea that reverberates throughout the heartstring-tugging story: Knowing our histories empowers us to make better, more empathetic connections with those around us.

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