Your weekend long reads 🗞️

Welcome to a special Black History Month edition of The Short List.

Our reporting in Angola on the roots of slavery in the U.S. resonates deeply. Our mission was simple, yet daunting: taking Wanda Tucker, who believes she is a descendant of the first “20 and odd” enslaved Africans to land in the English colonies, back to the origin of her family’s story in Angola.

• Searching for Angela: She was captured, enslaved and she survived. Meet Angela, the first named African woman in Jamestown.
• Searching for myself: The search for one woman's family led a reporter to find her own roots using oral history, archives and DNA tests. It was a stunning discovery.
• The search continues: Pam Tucker descends from the man who owned Wanda Tucker’s ancestors. She and Wanda met to confront their history.

Find more stories from USA TODAY’s 1619 project at 1619.usatoday.com, and more black history content at blackhistory.usatoday.com. Plus, don't miss these: 👇