Black like me: Ancestry by DNA

What do you think my ancestry dna results will show?

Ancestry by DNA test purchased through Groupon.

I've always loved the study of genetics. For years, I would argue with people that African DNA produces all kinds of (phenotype) skin colors, eye colors and hair colors...so the light skin vs dark skin debate never made sense to me. I would argue that having light skin and even light eye color did not mean that a person contained an abundance of European DNA. 

I never really knew all of my racial or ethnic background. My maternal grandmother was chocolate with slanted eyes. I had a light skinned grandma and a dark skinned grandma with slanted eyes. I had at least one grandpa who appeared Native American to me, but who said his father was actually White. So it has been somewhat of a mystery. 

People have always assumed things about my heritage that I never thought were true. I just didn't know to be quite honest. I have been teased about my eyes (that change colors) and skin color for years. People have even asked me "What are you mixed with?" (My sister gets this question the most as she's lighter than me. LOL) It was always a crazy question to me. Outlandish even. 

I've been told by a friend, "You have A LOT of cream in your coffee..." *side-eye* People have often come with the light skinned jokes. And honestly, being lighter skinned in a society that values aesthetics based on a color scale, I would just have to take it. (Who are we kidding? I didn't ever just take it...I came back with the jokes... Trash talk is my thing... :) lol but it was always in love.)

Being Black in America can always be a mixed bag...our history in this country comes with a lot of baggage and ancestry mixed up through chains, chaos, rapes, inter-marriage, triumphs and overcoming...with a system built that kept us detached from our lineages. So before DNA testing came about, our ability to connect to our roots was dang near impossible. The concept of "Black" is an amalgamation of multiple heritages that contain a whole cup of African blood or one drop. 

My family comes in all skin tones, hair textures, and eye colors...all Black. Never a heritage question..as with most Black families. It isn't unusual for brothers and sisters to come both light and dark skinned from the same parents. Still Black. 

Several years ago, during the Beta testing of 23andMe's DNA testing, my coworker participated. I really wanted to participate, but being the procrastinator that I am...I missed the deadline. So when another friend found a Groupon for Ancestry by DNA, I jumped at the opportunity. He and I did the basic test to just find the origins of our DNA based on four categories: Sub-Saharan African, European, Native/Indigenous American, and East Asian. 

People would often write off my argument about looks not telling the whole story, as me defending my own lighter skin and lighter eye color. (Yeah..I was! humph! LOL)  So on Friday, I received my ancestry *DNA origin test results (it only gives you the "racial" DNA background, based on autosomes testing from both parents, but doesn't go further to trace the lineage)

A DNA Origins™ test determines an individual's bio-geographic ancestry. Whether you're interested in researching your family history, or just simply want to learn more about yourself, this test can provide you with a better understanding of your genetic ancestry and provide a window into further research about your possible ancestors.

DNA Origins™ provides ancestral estimates for four populations: European, Indigenous American, Sub-Saharan African, and East Asian. It is important to remember that these "populations" really refer to a group of people with shared ancestry and that there is natural migration between these groups over time.

My results were:

European: 0%

Sub-Saharan African: 93%

Native American: 0%

East Asian: 7%

Needless to say, my results shocked everybody. LOL

I found this story about a Nigerian Brit's Ancestry DNA results interesting because it is in perfect contrast with my own. According to our separate results...I am "blacker" than he is...by far! 

"My Ethnicity Search: I Thought I Was Black — Until I Had 
An Ancestry DNA Test"

WHEN IS A BLACK MAN NOT A BLACK MAN? When author Ben Arogundade submitted to ancestry DNA testing, he got more than he bargained for, and the search results caused him to question the very ethnicity he had lived with all his life.

His results were: 

Sub-Saharan African — 65 per cent

East Asian — 28 per cent
European — 7 per cent

So here we are...me lighter...he darker...me from NC with no idea about my country of origin, he from the UK knowing he's Nigerian, my eyes light, his dark... yet... according to our DNA tests...I am "Blacker" than him. 

Isn't that interesting? Now according to what I've read, my East Asian results could actually mean that I am part Native American. 

So what do you think about the advent of science and technology that can trace your roots? Do you find it odd that I (being born in the US) have no European ancestry, yet this Nigerian brotha does? 

Quite a few folks have wondered if my test results were wrong or somehow bungled.  I don't care because since receiving my results, and after years of the "light skin slander," I've been walking around like George Jefferson with a dash of Samuel L. Jackson and a mega scoop of Cicely Tyson as Miss Jane Pittman 💃🏽

Ha!

My friends responses have been funny: 

 Ahhh, interesting. No European?

Like · Reply · December 10 at 10:04pm

Yeah, I'm in the retest camp. The eyes come from somewhere.

Like · Reply · December 10 at 10:37pm

I want to dig even deeper to find out my patrilineal and matrilineal heritage. An advanced test will show your countries and tribes of origin. 

Are you interested in doing an Ancestry DNA test?