Rochell Sanders Prater is the Executive Director of Descendants United, formerly known as the GU272 Descendants Association. Rochell is the great-granddaughter of Jackson Hawkins, who was just three years old when he was forced aboard the Katherine Jackson, one of the ships that carried 272 enslaved people from Maryland to Louisiana in 1838.

These men, women, and children were owned by the Jesuits of the Catholic Church, who sold them from the Georgetown University plantation missions to keep the institution from closing. It’s a story that’s been told in national headlines — but today, we’ll hear it from Rochell’s heart.
Before learning this history, Rochell endured deep personal loss and grief — even thoughts of ending her life. But uncovering her family’s story gave her purpose, faith, and life again.

Today, we hold space for her to share how remembering her ancestors became her redemption.

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This episode explores the intersection of grief, spirituality, and ancestral connection through the lens of psychic mediumship and ministry.

The R.E.A.L. Roots & Resilience podcast welcomes Dr. Lakara Foster — psychic medium, minister, and author of The Mourning After. Together, the hosts and guests examine how spiritual gifts, sacred contracts, and faith help reconstruct life after loss.

Together, we destigmatize intuitive gifts in the Black community, illuminate grief as a sacred teacher, and encourage listeners to embrace surrender, self-care, and spiritual renewal.

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To open the R.E.A.L. Roots & Resilience series by exploring how faith, ancestry, and family history shape emotional identity, resilience, and silence within Black communities.

Each host shares their “why” — a personal reflection that connects lived experience, spirituality, and lineage to healing through storytelling. The goal is to show that narrative reflection is the intervention: it restores the connection between past, present, and self.

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