The authors commemorate their ancestors, descendants, and heritage with honor as a memorial stone for their children and their children's children so they will know from whence they have come in this family history.

That history includes Madison and Ella Ward, both born in the mid-1800s, married in 1876, and who raised eight children on one acre with one mule. They stood on their Christian faith and believed in God.

Through their love and strength of family, they survived the degradation of post-slavery America to prosper and become - six generations later - among the most respected landowners in Alabama. We Are the Wards! preserves the Ward family legacy, inspires future generations, and encourages other families to follow their vision.

The strength of the Wards, as for most black families since slavery, has been critical to surviving an inhumane system whose legacy has lived on via the Black Codes, Jim Crowism, and institutional racism.

While each generation will be bombarded with new challenges, new value systems, and new lifestyles, families can find success by refusing to compromise their Christian values - just like the Wards.