Pam Tucker's ancestors enslaved Wanda Tucker's. Together they confront effects of slavery.

PHOENIX – This week in Arizona, a descendant of slaves came face-to-face with a descendant of the family who enslaved her ancestors.

The takeaway? Before improvements can be made in race relations, we must understand the historically different experiences of white and black Americans.

"Not understanding ... what it means to live as an African American in this country was me. ... That's the experience for a lot of white people," said Pam Tucker, the descendant of a white Virginia slave owner.

On Thursday, Pam took the stage with Wanda Tucker, a descendant of a black slave family, at Rio Salado College in the Phoenix area.

"I want to help educate other people to get out of ignorance that I had been in," Pam said at the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday event.

It wasn't the first time the two had met and talked about how their families' histories intertwine through slavery.

Wanda Tucker (left) and Pam Tucker (right) speak on a panel as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday celebration at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona on Jan. 23, 2020. Wanda Tucker's ancestors were some of the very first Africans to be enslaved by colonial Americans who Pam Tucker descended from.
Wanda Tucker (left) and Pam Tucker (right) speak on a panel as part of a Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday celebration at Rio Salado College in Tempe, Arizona on Jan. 23, 2020. Wanda Tucker's ancestors were some of the very first Africans to be enslaved by colonial Americans who Pam Tucker descended from.

Wanda is a psychology and religious studies professor at Rio Salado. Her family is believed to be among the “20 and odd,” the first enslaved Africans brought to America in 1619. Pam is a descendant of Capt. William Tucker, one of 22 members of the General Assembly of the Virginia colony, the first elected representative body of its kind in North America.

Wanda believes Captain Tucker owned her ancestors Anthony, Isabella and William. According to a 1625 census, Captain Tucker's household included Anthony Negro, Isabella Negro and William, "theire Child Baptised."

Last summer, Wanda embarked on a trip with USA TODAY that retraced the steps of her ancestors in Angola.

The two women met for the first time in Virginia, for the USA TODAY story. They came to Phoenix, where Wanda lives, to share what they've learned.

Wanda said their first meeting was painful: "When I was alone in the hotel room, anger consumed me most of that night. I had to take a sleep aid to go to sleep, the pain.

"The next day, I told Pam, 'I'm not angry with you, but the systems that continue to hurt people of color. The systems that keep us from having a fair opportunity in many aspects of life. Yes, slavery ended but the hardship for African Americans didn't end and they still have not ended.'"

At that first meeting, the anger Wanda felt was met with a question from Pam: How can I help make the wrong right?

"She didn't run away from my anger or my pain, we sat with it," Wanda said.

Confronting a painful history: Pam’s family enslaved black people. Wanda believes her ancestor was one of them.

In Phoenix, the women sat on stage together with their demeanor calm and conversation kind. They have had difficult talks since their first meeting but have developed a relationship in which they know when to take a break and come back instead of running away.

Meeting Wanda opened Pam's eyes to the pain and trauma African Americans have suffered since 1619. She didn't know. Now, she hopes to be an ally in helping other white people open their eyes.

"If I can help somebody else that was in my position to see more clearly, I think we're going to be better off," said Pam.

Before meeting Wanda, Pam felt there were no differences between black and white people. She didn't see color.

"(Wanda) told me, 'I don't want you to see everything the same. I don't want you to see black the same as white. I want you to know the difference and know the struggles and know how hard it's been,’ " Pam said.

Having walked the same dirt path in Angola that her ancestors walked before being forced onto a ship and into slavery 400 years ago, Wanda says she's felt the pain of them all.

She is hopeful for the future but knows there is a long way to go.

"Pam and I ... are part of that reality of Dr. King's vision and his dreams that we can value and appreciate each other for who we are," Wanda said.

"We continue to have these open and honest conversations and let others know they can be had. Are they easy? No. But you can listen to each other and know that we are making a difference."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 2 women with family histories intertwined confront effects of slavery