Following My Ancestry

A painful and partial journey

Hello friends,

I always find it interesting to watch shows like “Who Do You Think You Are?” and “Finding Your Roots”. You know the shows I mean, where people go and trace their ancestors’ history. I’ve seen people go back centuries to find ancestors and it’s always fascinating. Not only do we understand more about DNA, but we also have so much technology at our fingertips that makes these explorations possible.

At the same time, it’s bittersweet, because those shows often leave me a bit sad when I think about one day doing it for my own family. While it’s not impossible, it’s difficult, because I’m the descendant of enslaved Africans, and my ability to go back centuries relies on the record-keeping of the people who enslaved my ancestors and beyond that, on being able to identify a point of origin on the African continent.

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