Who is Black and who is White?
Wednesday March 14, 2007
Another article on ancestry DNA testing in the New York Times tells the story of a white cattle rancher from Missouri connecting with his genetic cousin, an African American gospel singer from Harlem. They got together after Vy Higginsen convinced her uncle, Mr. James West, to get a Y-DNA test after her own ethno-ancestry DNA test revealed 28% European ancestry. She submitted his results to the West Family DNA Project, which is where the rancher, Marion West, found that the two shared a common ancestor - making them genetic cousins.
The part of this story that I like best are the comments from the two cousins. Ms. Higginsen told the New York Times
"If it’s my story, it’s many people’s story too,” Ms. Higginsen said. “It’s the real story of America. People are finally asking: ‘Whose blood is running through our veins? Who are we? Who of us is black, and who’s white?’ They’re realizing there are no thoroughbreds among us, and nobody’s 100 percent anything in this country."and Mr. West said pretty much the same thing in his own way
“I’ve been breeding cattle all my life, and I’ll tell you, cross-breeding is better,” he said. “You mate the black angus with the other breeds, and you have better, healthier offspring.”
Comments
I’m wondering what the last names Dumar,Fetter,Haydary,,Toone,Pick,O’Neill,Rather and Macomber means.
Mixtures are highly possible,but how much over all matters also.Many people have (some) ancestry from rare groups that they have little contact with,but they tend to identify with what they have currently and mostly though you could be 1/3 this, 1/3 that, and 1/3 another thing-a three way highway,like a creole!
News of this kind of networking is great!
I wonder how many people from Enfield, Halifax County, NC can connect with Jones, Mitchum, Scott, and Locklier families? I’m limited to the federal census of 1860 and 1870.
And how many people from Zebulon, Wake County, NC can connect with Young, Rogers, Ivey and Hunter families? I can’t get earlier than 1870’s census.