Saturday, December 06, 2008
This is not the first time I've wondered about my ancestry...
Last week, my fingers turned a much darker color than usual because of the chemo. My doctor informed me that this is something they usually see in African American women. Add to that the fact that I tend to get keloid scars, also something that Black people tend to get, and that members of my family, including me, have curly kinky hair, and I just wonder.
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Well, we all have Black ancestry, of course, if you believe that all life comes from the Mesopotamia. Would knowing that I have a specific Black ancestor (or ancestors) make me Black? I'm pretty sure most people would continue to see me as white (except in SD, where they might not always be sure). Would it change the way I identify? I don't know - I'd certainly embrace that part of my heritage and celebrate it, but I would still be pretty focused on the White privilege I get all the time, and on thinking about how to disrupt it...I hope...
Mine was about 7-8 generations ago, the discovery of which tore apart a genealogy email list I was on. One branch got irrational and furious about the discovery (of a freed slave) and started doing some real pretzel logic to deny it, which seemed pretty obvious and pathetic. The records are there, plain as day.
I'd love to have one of those extended family reunions, but some people are still in denial.
Wow, how interesting to consider!
I have to wonder though, how many generations back can something be and still count? Where I grew up it was a source of pride to be Italian and kids would scoff at other kids who said things like "My great, great grandmother was Italian, so I am too."
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