The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper: The Simrill Family’s Journey of Reconciliation

On the June 15 episode of The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper on CNN will focus on the powerful portrait of former St. Luke’s Rector Spenser Simrill’s multi-racial Southern family. “The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White” will explore how the family is confronting and exploring its painful shared history— and coming together in spite of it. The episode airs at 8pm.

Here is a synopsis of the episode from CNN:In York County, South Carolina, two halves of the Simril(l) family exist: the white side, descended from slave holders, and the Black side, descended from people enslaved on the Simril plantation. The two were segregated for over a century— unaware of their shared background— until Spenser Simrill began reaching out to others with the same last name 11 years ago, in the hopes of learning more about his family’s clouded history. What he and his newfound relatives uncovered was a complicated legacy built around slavery, Reconstruction Era racial terrorism, and the unbelievable villains and heroes at the center of it.

As they prepare for their 2025 reunion celebration, Spenser Simrill and Michael Simril continue their search to unearth more of the Simril(l) story. They investigate their ancestors’ violent run-ins with Klansmen in the county, as well as their family’s 1871 migration to Liberia in pursuit of economic prosperity. Together, the Simril(l)s of today consider how their blended families can share resources moving forward, enrich each other’s lives, and serve as a blueprint for racial healing.