by dpleasants

Created on: November 04, 2007

My Virtual Journey to the Motherland: How DNA Helped Me to Reclaim My Stolen Past

There has always been a little thing gnawing at the back of my mind; something that has been somewhat elusive to pinpoint yet left me feelingempty. For most of my life I never really knew what it was. However, last year I was finally able to put my finger on it. I now know what it is and it's something most people take for granted.

Just as a child, raised by a single mother, might feel a sense of pain when Father's Day rolls around and there is no father present. Or, an adopted child longs to know more about his birth parents, while genuinely feeling love and devotion to his adoptive parents. I had a similar feeling regarding a major gap in my family tree. As a person whose ancestors were snatched from their homeland, stripped of their names, family, and language, and sold into slavery, I have always known there was a major piece of my puzzle missing. Who am I and where did I come from? Most of the time, I never even think about it, but every now and then, this issue would surface. Occasionally, friends would talk about their European, Scandinavian, or Italian roots. Even my husband and his family often reminisce about their Irish heritage. However, for me I could only look at the great African continent on a globe and wonder "where?"

However, there may now be a way to heal that void many blacks feel. In February 2006, a documentary aired on PBS called African American Lives. In it, several noted African Americans took part in a virtual trip back to a time before the slave trade and so they could reconnect with their African roots. In an effort to achieve this goal, a team of genetic scientists took samples of their DNA and conducted several tests. I knew DNA testing has been used for several years to establish paternity or help solve crimes. But thanks to genetic scientists and anthropologists, DNA was able to prove that all of our ancestors (regardless of what ethnicity we identify with currently) originated in Africa. In addition, viewers learned that there are three tests widely used to help someone learn more about their genetic roots:
1. A DNA test known as admixture test can accurately breakdown the ethnic composition of a person contributed by both parents.
2. A mitochondrial DNA test (mtDNA) can trace back an individual's maternal line.
3. A Y-DNA test can trace back an individual's paternal line; however, this is test can only be conducted on men.
All tests are conducted

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