DNA testing, genetics, and possibilities for reparations among African Americans
A major theme of Dr. Nelson’s keynote address was the use of genetic and DNA testing to establish the ethnicity of those who descended from slaves. Due to poor record keeping and probably more than a little intentional obfuscation, a majority of African Americans don’t know where they’re ancestors were from. Dr. Nelson talked about how African Americans are “early adopters” of commercially available genetic testing kits and used them to attempt to establish their own genetic history. The results have also been used by those seeking reparations, by establishing direct decent from those who were wronged in the past. Dr. Nelson’s address, at a meta level, is a discussion of how a technology can be used for purposes that were never envisioned nor intended by its developers.
My thoughts on my own ethnicity have always been able to be summed up by the same Ancesty.com commercial Dr. Nelson used in her address; Kyle always thought he was German, embraced the German culture and made it part of his identity. When he discovers he’s actually Scottish, he casually discards his existing ethnic identity and assumes a new one. Clearly Kyle hadn’t actually internalized his ethnic identity, as evidenced by the ease with which he changes it. For me, personally, my actual ethnicity doesn’t matter, and I would feel dishonest in any attempt to embrace any of my ethnic identities as an insider (an attitude that has shocked several non-white friends and acquaintances over my adulthood). My attitude is probably at least partially a result of white privileged, as mainstream American culture meshes with my cultural identity. I wasn’t raised as a German, nor Scot, Englishman, nor Pole. Those stories, languages and beliefs are not part of my identity. But they were available to me if I wanted them. I chose to ignore my ethnicity with both eyes open. The idea that generations of people haven’t even had that chance is eye opening.
Dr. Nelson spoke at length about how open and receptive Africa Americans in general have been to the idea of having their DNA tested, especially to determine their own ancestry. She mention how actor Isaiah Washington applied for and received a passport from Sierra Leone, the country at least some of his ancestors were abducted from. He even expressed interest in a MP campaign in the country. The family of Venture Smith, a freed slave who died in 1805, consented to having his body exhumed for genetic testing, hoping that it would help “heal” the nation. No viable sample could be recovered.
The African American community’s enthusiasm for genetic testing can be juxtaposed with the attitudes of several Native American groups, as seen in Reardon and Tallbear’s “Your DNA is Our History.” While African Americans are excited to learn how where they came from, some Native American groups prefer to embrace their own creation myths, and don’t want their DNA tested. The difference is easily explainable, however. The ancestors of African Americans were crammed onto ships to travel to the US with only a life of slavery and western reprogramming to look forward to, losing their cultural identity in the process. Native Americans have not suffered a total cultural displacement, and can still trace their ethnicity to the community to which they belong.
