2.15.2008

African American Lives 2

Tell me you've seen this show. It's AMAZING!! Liz told me I have to watch it and I love it!! It's about using your DNA to map your gene pool. AMAZING!! I've always been obsessed with genetics. I never would've imagined how far it would be able to be stretched for knowledge. I can't wait. I'm so doing this. Sometimes they can trace your ancestry to specific African tribes. They use celebrities for this show. It makes sense because of our celebrity obsessed culture. Some people won't watch unless they recognize a face. This show is nothing short of amazing. If I was a teacher or parent, I would absolutely make my children watch this. It also makes me want to go get my grandma's DNA so we can explore the lineage even more.

When I was in college, my African-American history teacher said because my grandmother's (father's mother) family was from SC and my father eats rice incessantly, we're probably from the grain coast, possibly even Sierra Leone or Liberia. Many white people can trace their ancestry back to "the old world" but for black people, its murky. Because slaves were stripped of their culture and language, you begin to feel like you'll never know where you came from. This possible coastal connection also explains why, like Stace's dad (from Ghana), I always want to be near the water.

I didn't even know that before I went to Hampton, my home by the sea. I knew I loved the beach, but when I got to Hampton, I felt an even stronger connection. My dorm freshman year (VC- #9 on the list) overlooked the water. I stared at it every morning before I went to class and as I went wherever I was going. There was a back way out of the building which was quicker, but usually I preferred walking out the front door so I could see the water. I always had a hard time tearing my eyes away. We also used to pretend to study out there. Who can concentrate on the water?! The next 3 years I lived in Dubois, also on the water. I was always staring out my window at the water and taking pictures of it, walking down by the water. Now I don't ever want to live away from the water again. Pittsburgh has 3 rivers which made me instantly feel better about this place. Not good enough to stay but a little calmer about my time here. This program made me feel even more proud about being black. And now it's coming on again!! I missed the first 15 minutes last hour. So excited.

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11 comments:

Rashan Jamal said...

I was just telling my sister that she should get that test (so she could pay for it instead of me). I saw some of the show, but I was a little distracted at the time.

Its always been an interesting topic for me with my father being adopted. I don't know anything about his side of the family. Supposedly he is Black and Cherokee, but that could be totally wrong.

1969 said...

The show is incredible. I DVR'd it to watch it with my son.

Anonymous said...

Does the show come on again?? I missed it. It does sound interesting. I wonder about the science behind it, the whole genetics of it.

the joy said...

Its on my dvr! Must watch! My mom keeps talking about the ONE person on the show who was cape verdean (we're a proud people). I hear you on the water. Atlanta is too far from the ocean!!!

Jameil said...

rj... cheapo! you have to pay attention to it. and funny you mention the cherokee. they said only 20% of the pop. has native am. blood but many more than that claim to have some. they kept showing all these celebs and saying 0,0,0,0,1% native american. very hilarious.

1969...yay!! loved it!

epsi... i'm sure it does. click on that link.

joy... its faaabulous! lol. yeah he's a preacher/theologian. water is life!

Sparkling Red said...

It's important to find out as much about your history as you can. It seems to be a fundamental human urge, to know where and who we came from.

I also love being near water. I spend as much of the warm weather as possible down by the shore of Lake Ontario. That's my escape place.

Anonymous said...

funny, I won't watch it because its about celebrities.


If it was about regular folk, id be more apt to watch.

CNEL said...

I want the test, maybe if I ever get a job making money, I'll have all the work done.

Might cop it on DVD when the taxes come back, haha.

Jameil said...

Red... yep.

ink... that is because you are a snob. i'm not talking about history buffs. i'm talking about regular people.

cnel... the dvd is great.

Anonymous said...

This show is amaazing I happened to catch it on accident and now its on permanent reminder in my phone...

yet another black guy said...

ooh thanks for the tip!