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My brother reacts to our hidden Louisiana ancestry
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ก.พ. 2023
- #ancestry #findingyourroots #ancestrydna #dnatest #louisiana #nativeamerican #creole #familyhistory #genealogy
The documentary- series "Finding Lola" is done, but is the journey over?
I sat down with my youngest brother Luke (Lola's greatgrandson) to talk to him about his reaction after watching the series on our family story, the ancestry dna tests, and how he feels about our newly-found ancestry and family history. He talks with me about finding out about our hidden Louisiana history and reflecting on what he will do with it going forward.
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Want to rewatch any of "Finding Lola"? Here's the series:
Watch the Episode 1 that started the whole journey:
• In 1930, our ethnicity...
Watch Episode 2 here:
• Our ancestry was hidde...
Watch Episode 3 here:
• I learned why my famil...
Watch Episode 4 here:
• Is my ancestry journey...
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Come join me on a new docu-series that explores identity, racial tensions in the South during the 20th century, and the unique experiences of those who historically called Louisiana home.
My name is Danielle Romero, and all my life, I have romanticized Louisiana.
Growing up in New York, it represented a place where I could step back the sepia-toned life of my great grandmother, Lola Perot, who died before I was born.
Now, it was time to go back to Louisiana--although I had no idea what the truth would be or what questions to ask---who was Lola really? Who were we?
*Amazon links are affiliate links. If buy something through these links, we may earn affiliate commission. Thank you for supporting this project!
Our African heritage is something to be proud of. The strength of our African ancestors and their ability to survive in a world that they didn't know nor seek is inspiring. While I guess I could have passed, I have never denied that I was one of their descendants; and I never will.
My Sentiments Exactly!!!
I am so thankful to get the chance to learn about our family history even after all this time.
Amen "what u said"!
We're still surviving. Our survival did not stop with our ancestors in this country.
I was adopted, and I always knew I had African Ancestry. I have never denied it. But I didn't grow up in Louisiana either.
Black people usually know who’s passing and who is not or trying an opinion 🙏🏽
It’s true. We do.
Very true!
but he or she dont have explicitly black features. so how are they passing lol. most people who passed back in the day to us modern peeps stick out like a sore thumb black or white. its very obvious to us.
he looks italian she looks italian or persian. but black is like last thing id guess. i wonder what percentage black they have in their dna.
im mediteranean, i thought id at least have 1% black dna just cause of geography and my characteristics. i was right about having african dna but north african. still considered caucasian.
@@aja1108Very good point!
@odiebullock6707 Right! We know it when we see 👀 it
Luke, you may have been "in the dark" for a while, but the sun is shining brightly now. Danielle has been doing such amazing work and it is amazing what she has uncovered so far. TFS! ❤
My father was adopted as an infant (and not told he was adopted until his 40s). I did the Ancestry DNA test and lots of research. I discovered that his birth father was an Italian man, and his birth mother was an Ashkenazi Jewish woman. Since 2018, I've been reconciling this newfound Italian--and likely Catholic--genetic identity with my Jewish cultural immersion. For me, it's not a matter of "passing" but a question of balancing my upbringing with an historical narrative that doesn't match.
My mother is 100% Ashkenazi. Six grandparents. Two sets provide my cultural history and values, where I fit in the world and society. Two sets provide the genes. These two sets only overlap when my mother's family unites them. Genetics tell a story of origins. Only my future research will reveal the stories in my genetic--and cultural--past. I have the desire to uncover my own "Lola."
Ashkenazis have a lot of endogamy so this will be very difficult to do, but I wish you all the best! What an amazing story.
I'm mixed race born in Ohio in 89 and my race was chosen by my parents and the state. My birth certificate says black. My mom is white and my dad is black. But my mom's side is not entirely just White and it took me many years to find out the family Secret that kind of in a way wasn't a complete surprise to me🤣. My mom's dad didn't look just regular white and could tan very easily and looked Native American looking. About over a dozen people in my family cousins and some uncles and aunt or 2 has similar features. One of my great uncles didn't even try to hide it he always dressed in way that showed the Native American side. About 3 year's ago I really looked into my family tree and found out my grandpa has some melungeon ancestry and Ukrainian ancestry. The Ukrainian part was already known most of my life but not the other part so much when it came to his background. He didn't like talking about his race much and always claimed White. My mom's mom is just a mix of different kinds of European White like German, Scottish, Irish, English and who knows what🤷♀️🤣. And researching my dad's side pretty much led to a dead end which is not a surprise to me🤣 I couldn't research further beyond my grandma for 2 reasons she was a black woman and she wasn't raised by her birth family and her birth family didn't want her to come looking for them. And when it comes to which box I like to check I check just black most of the time. But sometimes black and white or other. I never just check the white box by itself without checking one or two more to go with it🤣. I feel no shame I'm just being honest❤.
Black genes are dominant your black
My grands are 1/2 Mexican. My grandson is dark skin, my granddaughter is Lily white. You just never know what the gene pool is going to put in the pot. Sometimes it’s going to be a surprise.
This is true, even for MY kids
that's so true, I am told sometimes certain genes will skip over generations in phenotypic expression, 2 of my granddaughters were just tested, one carried my African Gene, the eldest did not, but going into the 12th generation for them, so I found that interesting. Additionally: I have a cousin on my maternal side who has bi-racial children, the eldest is the spitting image of his African American father, while the other has his mothers ginger hair, freckles and fair skin tone. The genetic testing futher validates that they are siblings in both instances. As you said, "the gene pool can be very surprising."
I think the thing to remember is being black isn’t bad. If it isn’t bad, and you have a decent amount in you, then why not just check the box? I personally check 2 boxes as a bi-racial women. My nephew checks 3. There’s nothing wrong with checking the boxes that pertain to you. Regardless, with all things, you do what feels right to you. It’s just tough hearing the angst that comes with identifying as what you are. I’ve heard these discussions my whole life coming from a very mixed family. They are good and needed discussions, but I would hope the goal is to embrace our whole selves. In my family folks were so quick to embrace the white part, but not so sure about the black part. Obviously, there’s something not ok about that. This would be a great discussion. Let’s talk about why it’s hard to identify with all parts of ourselves and fully acknowledge them. It goes deep.
I agree with you, I think the struggle for us is that we did not have so many of the "experiences" that went with checking those boxes. My family did, but I was shielded. It's what gives me pause sometimes.
@@nytn I think it's important to know why ethnicity/race is being asked for when you are presented with boxes to tick. You could be contributing to skewing data - mixed (Black/White) womens maternity mortality rates are 2x higher than their white counterparts (Black women are 4x higher), if every slightly mixed person ticks 'Black mixed' they will skew much needed data that highlights racial disparities in medical care - resulting in institutions not 'doing the work'. If you tick 'Black mixed' (or American Indian etc) when applying for a job, or a grant you could be taking an opportunity from someone who likely moves in the world in a different way to yourself due to your proximity to whiteness - meaning they experience institutionalised racism that negatively impacts their lives (emotional, physical and financial wellbeing). Comments like 'why not tick the box' don't seem to understand why we are asked our ethnicity/race in the first place. I wouldn't get hung up on box ticking - I don't think that it is denying your ancestors or their lived experiences and their struggles. There is a time and place to acknowledge ancestry as a person of very mixed heritage - but respectfully in my opinion as a mixed African/German - ethnicity check boxes are not one of them...Best :)
This was a really great perspective, thank you!
@@nytn being black is not a monolith. There is not a way of being black. I use that term black and white loosely because it's not who you are it is a status created by some racist pricks. Do the research. People before the European arrived here, never called themselves colors.
Your right being black isn’t bad but because of racism bigotry and prejudices in this world/on this planet, they make it bad (and we all know who they are) black people haven’t done anything to anyone but are treated the worse simply cause of skin color, it’s a sick mental illness I don’t think the world will ever be cured of so I get why people wanna disassociate from blackness cause this world is not kind to blackness
There's so much more to this one drop rule in French/Spanish Colonial Louisiana. Terms of racial strata like Metis, Mulatte, Sambo, Octoroon, Griffe, Africaine, etc., were used to identify. It was on a scale of your percentage of African, European and Native ancestry. The history of a Black and White social construct and racial strata is incredibly fascinating. Which leaves a few questions.... What does it mean to be White? How Black can one be? When were these classifications first legally instituted? This passe Blanc aspect within New Orleans culture had an immediately impact on the population and political structure probably since the Haitian refugees started fleeing to the city. Even prior to this the Spanish colonial government had a racial classification sytem called Las Castas. At least 16 categories of racial identity throughout their Americas domain. We are the sum product of that historical lineage. Creoles we became out of the institution of the transatlantic slave trade.
Your post is quite accurate regarding Louisiana laws prior to the early 20th century , which were much different than the Anglo-Saxon dominate rest of the South, just as you noted in your post. The French and Spanish influenced Louisiana had a different classification than the WASP rest of the South. The laws of Virginia starting around 1910 were the ones that first started the Jim Crow one drop rule, but that was modified as many of the leading citizens of states like Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia (4 Southern states of the original 13 colonies) had ancestors who got here in the 1600's and had married Native American women. So that the rules were made that if no more than 1/16 of your ancestry was Native American, you were classified as part of the WASP aristocracy in those states.
In Louisiana, prior to the Civil Wear if someone was 7/8 European and 1/8 of West African ancestry, they were considered European. After the Civil war and up till the Jim Crow Laws in Louisiana, a person with 3 Grandparents who were say of African/American (black) ancestry and 1 European were considered Black, those with 3 to 5 of 8 Great Grandparents were Mulatto, those with 2 of 8 ancestors who were African-American, were Quadroon, then 1/8 Octoroon, etc, etc. I think Louisiana followed Virginia's law after they passed it in 1910 and by 1930 every state of the old confederacy had done the same. So in a way, as the French influence over Louisiana ended, it became more like the rest of the South. However, prior to 1910, a much different history.
I cant wait for you to see the video coming out on Sunday. I interviewed a Creole friend and Creole historian about this very thing...
@@nytn Certainly looking forward to seeing it. Much Respect.
Definitely would be interesting in you interviewing alot of Creoles who identify as black but yet still acknowledge all of their races. Seriously would like for you to interview other Creole families not just from that area but from New Orleans, Lafayette, Lake Charles area so you can get a first hand look. Every city and environment each of them has a different experience. I can definitely give you last names of well known Creoles who has openly and gladly will speak about it. So interesting because a lot of Creoles in New Orleans did very well for themselves in the 60’s -present. I just hate how people portray that all African American / Creole people from Louisiana left and portrayed as white just to have a easier life. Yet, there are Creoles who left to go north just to get a good job but still identified as black. Or they stayed in Louisiana and pushed through getting there education and working there selves up to become successful. It also amazes me how black people can automatically tell if you have African in you -maybe it’s our DNA especially Black people from Louisiana we just know! Like how no one couldn’t tell Lola DNA had black in her 🧐🤨it’s so obvious. Your family story is very interesting but it’s also give me mixed emotions- sad, annoyed and SMH that they thought they had to portray to be another race for a better life! Happy, and excited you are finding out about your roots and acknowledging it.
@@nytn I watched the video, your friend was a very good presenter and excellent historian.
It deeply saddens me that being black was and still is look on as inferior, or even evil. As a black person who could never be mistaken for anything else it's hurtful to know how detested black people are and have been here in the states but also all around the world. If I feel this way I can only imagine how a purely African person must feel. I'm sorry but it just hurts. I'm not sure where my hurt and anger should be directed or what to do about it. Self love is so important for emotional and spiritual well-being. The unspoken truth is black people have an added burden of navigating societal hatred in order to build, protect and maintain self love. I'm bothered. I'm saddened. I'm hurt. I'm angry.
This journey has made me very sad and very angry many times over again. Thank you for sharing on here.
Learning African history helped me tremendously. We were fed so many lies. We really come from greatness! We brought skills here that helped to build this place.
I'm African living in the United States and I must tell you I feel no type of way and unbothered. If there's a next life on earth I still want to come out as black. I am too busy focusing on the love I give and receive to be worried about those that hate me. You just have to hold your head up and be your authentic self. Focus on self love and surround yourself with positive energy.
Hello my NY sister! I look at you and some of your family and see the DNA clear as day! The tanning of the skin and even Grammys tightly curled hair was simply ancestry that refused to be forgotten. I feel that your brother making a joke of it as a child was almost him unknowingly telling everyone to stop it! This was an adorable correspondence to watch and again as I looked at your family I simply saw the looks of my uncles and aunts whom still check that brown box, it’s odd how people were forced to make that decision to assimilate.
Ps…. Ppl have that feeling almost everywhere when you verbalize you are from New York, I will never understand 😂 NY has taught me so much🧠
LOL! Yes, being from NY needs to have it's own video. It's just not the same.
@@nytn agreed 😂😂😂
My paternal grandfather's family was like that. All the men had blue-black wiry hair they were absolutely obsessed with straightening. They tanned at lightning speed. They all had a deer-in-the-headlights look whenever you asked about family history. They claimed they were Irish and German and had vague & contradictory responses any time you asked about the family.
With all the racism I’ve faced still thank my FATHER in heaven was born black, I personally welcome all to the African diaspora that have African decent, we have to stop the division based on made up constraints, whatever you are, whatever your made of, be proud of being you
Your channel spreads joy, despite the tough emotion at times.
My grandmother was born in 1909 in Alabama. Her father was white: Scots-Irish. Her mother was a "mulatto", both grandfather's were white. She could've easily "passed". So this has been a part of me my whole life. My mom had a hard time trying to convince me as a little kid in the 1960s, that she was a very "fair skinned negro". I knew what I saw. When we went to Alabama in 1966, the family I stayed with didn't look like most of the black people I saw in Montgomery. I said that then. This is what prompted me to do my genealogy starting in the '80s.
Your grandmother wasn’t black she was a quadroon
I'm biracial and identify as Black. Yes, I look like I could be mixed with something else but it's not obvious what that something else is like my African ancestry is. I have Native American, French, German, Ashkenazi DNA and while I acknowledge I have that in me I have no guilt or shame with not identifying as any of those because that isn't my lived experience. You're not denying or ashamed to have Black/AA ancestry and you shouldn't feel any guilt about not identifying as Black/AA.
Thank you for this comment and sharing your experience! I agree that hte lived experience part matters so very much
By claiming only black, youre only continuing racist jim crow white supremacy. One drop, whether biracial, quarter , whatever means african genetics is a tain%t and inferio@r to euro genes, hence the child assumes the inferi^or parents racial stock. You Americans will never advance in society. You're too racial with everything.
If your half black then your black😅
I love that you guys are being honest and candid about this topic. It was utterly shocking to me when I received my results. However, the result only made me even more curious. I LOVE me and all the DNA that makes me, ME. Blessings to you all.
My 3rd great grandmother and her infant son (my 2nd great grandfather) narrowly escaped a genocide of her tribe in California. Her son and 12 other children all “passed” as white (at least on official documents). I can’t imagine the difficulties they had to face or what it was like to be born in a pre-European-contact tribe in 1839, and die in a world with the automobile in 1936 Humboldt, CA.
Dang Girl!!! Both of your brothers are so damn handsome!
LOL!
Just a note. Italians (and the Irish to be truthful) weren't always viewed in America as being truly white. Whiteness is something relatively new as well. All of these designations are kind of made up. There are different genetic communities and a Greek person is in a different community as much from an Irish person or a Nigerian person. In the past, nobody thought of themselves as white. And, there were definitely hierarchies amongst European countries in the view of whiteness. There is a good book called How the Irish Became White. In fact, sometimes the racism that came in America amongst some of the "less approved" European groups towards the Africans was in a quest to be accepted as white by the Anglo-Saxons. This "whiteness" label was more of an economic topic. Who gets to enjoy the full benefits of being American and who doesn't.
And don’t forget the Jews! All three assimilated into white culture after being discriminated against.
Your family story is a great American story. She had to do what she had to do to survive. Nothing to be ashamed about.
Love how you explain your family history
This is so relatable. My grandpa specifically, mildly identified as an Irish-descended American. Genealogically and biologically, we have almost none of that in the family. 1 3rd great grandma born in Ireland (but not Irish fam). Likewise, I literally learned Danish and lived there for a bit, all the while thinking I had a decent amount of Danish family. Years later I find that I'm at best as much Danish as I am Native American (Explains why I probably had a similar lower level of awareness of both when I was a kid lol)
And I kick myself because it turns out I'm significantly biologically Swedish, and had even unwittingly visited a couple of the towns my family lived in before coming to America 😂🤣 Usually people plan these heritage trips for months in advance but not me, just was going to have dinner with friends an hour drive away.
Masen, I love hearing you chime in. Such a parallel experience. And yah, I wish we could get a heads up when we are about to enter into important ancestral land or something, I know I have missed a ton of family history, too, because I just didnt know!
You never know how genetics come through. 3/4 of my grandparents had dark skin/hair. Three out of four also had blue eyes. My maternal great grandfather was a Black Pole....nicknamed "Blacky". Here I am, blue eyed, blonde with lighter skin and freckles 😂😆 Raised Catholic but come to find out both sides had Jewish ancestry. Go figure. I guess a lot has to do with assimilating.
Adoption
@@okieoiogh8235 I look too much like my dad, grandparents to be adopted 😂😆 I got Grampa Stanislaus light coloring though
White men corned that phrase "1 drop",what they were doing is excluding biracial slaves from assimilating with the white race. They had babies with female slaves, but the babies could not own their whiteness. That's why they created their own identity as Creole. Some of them denied their African heritage. They believed that they were different, beyond color. I would like to believe your grandma Lola felt like she had the right to choose her block and it was white. So be it. She doesn't own anybody, but her family the reason why ♥
@@denisehenry3427
Creole is not just mixed race and mixed race weren't the first Creoles.
Definitely getting racist bigot vibes from your entire ignorant statement
Have you read the biography of NYT journalist Anatole Broyard who passed as white and only outed himself as he was dying to his children? His wife kept his secret. Bliss Broyard, the surviving daughter went on a journey to discover the black roots of her father. Good luck to you on your journey of self discovery.
Read it/loved all levels of his daughter's book about her dad - and her discovery of her Black relatives.
As a black woman I realize the price my anscestors paid for me to have some sort of access. Those are your anscestors too Danielle. You are honoring them bell telling your truth, and the truth about American history. Regardless of what box you check, you are so much more.
thank you, I am so thankful to be a part of this family line
I really enjoy your conversation. I never heard from my relatives who passed. I did my DNA and found a “white” cousin and I’m sure she was shocked that she was part black!
Your brother, who is adorable btw, said something very telling about finding out all of the "crazy" stuff about your ancestry. I think, just my opinion, that part of the advantage to all of the work you're doing is that in the future this kind of thing won't be crazy at all, but very commonplace. Certainly times have changed, so people don't need to hide things the way they did in Lola's day, and the work you're doing is helping remove that undeserved stigma. Love it. Thanks for the interview and all your hard work!
This is why the response I give people is "I am somewhere between 8 and 13 diasporas in a trench-coat all yelling with and at each other". gets the point across while being kinda tongue in cheek about it.
I do understand the angst of finding out your ancestry is not what you thought. I’ve been a fair skinned Black woman all my life and I discovered through ancestry that we have a great deal of Native American and white. I was thrilled about the Native American ancestry as I’ve always had this deep affinity with Native American culture, but I was angry and deeply saddened learning about the white side. It revealed the enslavement and barbaric activities of the white side back then. I discovered my African great great great great grandfather was forced to impregnate his daughter. Their union produced my great great great grandmother. Discovering this made me want to cry. I also discovered my great great great grandfather was a product of rape by his African mothers white slave master. My mother identifies as mixed race as she passes for white. I identify as Black because I can’t pass. Nor do I want to. Discovering your ancestry can be both exciting and devastating at the same time. 😢
It can be heartbreaking and exciting, you are so right. Did you see the video I did on my enslaved grandfather? th-cam.com/play/PLvzaW1c7S5hQxDnyRTah5wYRX9b4FSrqR.html
@@nytn No, I didn’t. I will check that out.
That is crazy, how would you discover that. My dad did say things like that likely happened with slaves. Too bad we can't get these slave owners lock up for their crime.
@@KentPetersonmoney I sent you an explanation but YT apparently took it down as to how I discovered that information. I’ll just say this, when you do some digging, and understand that some cites purposely disguise information by the way they record the data, you will know that it is important that you put your investigative hat on and use your common sense radar. You’ll find out so much history that will either absolutely break your heart or completely piss you off.
You are angry at ur white ancestry? Fmd what is wrong with you? Who's to say that the white ancestry are not victims of slavery themselves? No matter what you wouldn't be alive if it wasnt for what ur ancestors went through.
Side note, your brother is adorable.😍
I'm of mixed ancestry as well. Less white passing than y'all, but still white passing.
I have learned the hard way, "just get over it" Live the best life you can. Don't worry about labels. Don't let sheeple 🐑 label you and "put you in a box"❤❤❤
I just noticed that the ending of the surname Brignola is "nola" which is used as the acronym for New Orleans Louisiana (NOLA).
Well, it appears Louisiana has always been subtly rearing its head the whole time. lol
LOL! yes. I think my dad said that his dad's family's name was changed when they came through Ellis Island from Italy/Sicily. Reminds me of the way last names came out on the census: you get what you get and dont pitch a fit!😬
What?? WOW that's so cool and so crazy to learn just now... they're leaving breadcrumbs for future generations.
@@nytn Sicilian, ha, so your family is mixed with African on both sides. Once in antiquity and several thousand years later through the trans Atlantic slave trade. Interesting. It's kind of funny, because in America Italian Americans especially Sicilians have only been considered white for a few generations. During Lola's time they lived under many of the same restrictions African Americans did. Their darker skin and hair was seen as a dividing line between them and white Americans. There was a significant amount of intermarriage and or cohabitation between the very first wave of Italian men who came to America usually seasonally to work and African American women, especially in places like new Orleans and new York city. These men were usually denied housing with white people and so rented rooms in boarding houses in black neighborhoods where of course interactions often led to romance. Skip gates Did a family history for John Turturro that detailed this connection through one of his ancestors, who married the black woman who owned the rooming house he lived in. In order to gain whiteness subsequent generations of Italian Americans would have to adopt racism and draw a very firm line between them and blacks largely because whites saw the two groups as somewhat connected.
So true about Louisiana and the “one drop” law, I remember when that ended. Also agree with you about the guilt of not acknowledging ancestors. Then at the same time not having the life experience of their race. I feel very conflicted about it.
Such a unique thing to inherit
its very interesting and fun too to know ones heritage in the past. of course we can also be somewhat dissapointed with some results. i knkw someone who found out that his maternal branch included unsavory people in some shady occupational pursuits,
I hate being passing. Black is my beauty standard and I take more after my white half. In the summer though I’m very dark. Depends on how I’m wearing my hair usually. Perceptions of race are very weird. I’ve also been seen as Native American, Hawaiian, Italian, mulatto (accurate one), hispanic/latino, middle eastern, and Indian as in India. I’m actually black and white, gypsie african and possibly jewish. I’m full blooded European though, nationality I’m fully Romanian.
Love following your journey!
More to come! I am so glad you are here Fernie!
@@nytnI never got to mention, that I looked up Lodoicea, Lolas name. As I never heard this name before. -Turns out it isn't a girls name, but the name of a rare coconut, endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse located in the Seychelles. As it does not grow anywhere else on the planet, there must be a connection.. Why did her parents call her this? Where would they know such a name from..
Hope this will lead to something interesting! Creole is one of the languages
spoken there.
Just keep in mind there is nothing wrong with being BLACK. It was and still is the dominate society that attached negativity to it like so many other things. My family is from Louisiana and we do have thoses that knowingly pass. This has never sat well with me so their secret is not safe with me.
💯💯💯💯
If you knew what BLACK was, you would understand that to be a false statement. This is also coming from a "black" person.😒
That story above the record player reminds me of my mother and father! A record player and old records had that scratch sound while playing the music and i remember it was a huge deal trying to get my mother to listen to 8 track tapes and my father would have no part of it! My mother eventually started buying 8 tracks and my father wouldn't listen he always wanted a album on the record player! Its funny thinking back!
Hi, mixed person chiming in. I have loved watching all of your videos. Because this is true American history, and not a rare history whatsoever. It is a very common history that so many of us share. A history that people are STILL trying to hide. But, there is a lot to unpack here. I would like to start by saying I really love the fact that you acknowledge and understand that without any of the people of color who came before you, and going through all the horrors that they did, you would not exist and be here. At the same time, I find it utterly baffling that people find out their ancestry/heritage and still stick to saying they are only one thing (White). Forgive me if I'm wrong, but it sounds a bit as if you're seeing it as a cute/cool/interesting novelty to find out you have some African ancestry way down the line. An uncovered footnote in your family history, but it's still better to just say White (and retain all the benefits that come with that). And it really left me gobsmacked that almost all of your relatives look at themselves in the mirror every single day of their lives and actually believed they were only French, Irish, and Italian. Meanwhile, I'm sitting here thinking you were going to be surprised to find you had so much European. I suppose perception truly is subjective. Even when it's staring you right in the face.
Tracey, I really appreciated this thoughtful comment, because it made me pause and ask some hard questions of myself. So, ultimately, I feel a bit of imposter syndrome saying anything else than White. I do think the longer I work on my family history (maybe after a year, or 2 years of REALLY doing doing this) things will feel more like it is my history, too. This is definitely not a novelty or family footnote for me at all, but trying to figure out the truth, and not wanting to OVER-CORRECT and start acting like I have all this experience as a POC or something that I really dont. I dont know how people perceive me all the time, I mean I definitely get asked what I am, or assume I am something, but I always thought people saw me as white, and I was raised as white...but...it feels really silly if people are looking at me and seeing something else that I didnt see. This was a really good question, still thinking this over...
I always just check the “Other” box or “All of the above”.
I think you make Lola & her parents, grandparents proud, as you remember their stories and honor them! It's not that they were bothered being black or Indian or anything else, any more than being white... they're all the same in God's eyes! It's the system that has skewed (racial) ideas and made their lives impossible, and so - for the sake of survival and normality at the time - they chose to beat the system, and they sure did. Well done to them! It's horrific to think that the "one-drop" law was only abolished in 1983, considering this was Hitler's racial slur against Jews and others, too, and he was obviously a defeated lunatic! Yet, they continued for another nearly 40 years with the same sick ideas! I hope you manage to trace back further and further, plus on other sides of the family as well. Very inspiring! Well done!
Galinda, this was so great to read. I agree, at the end of the day, we are all God's children...this is an american history I did not really understand until I began the research.
May i ask… are you all afraid of the word “black” …. I am genuinely not being an asshole but it feels like you’re avoiding the work like the plague. It’s probably uncomfortable or you don’t want to say the wrong thing… but it’s ok to have black ancestry … and we’re pretty welcoming if you come in peace ✌️ have a good day
I dont think anyone is afraid to say Black, but we aren't Black (which is what I said verbatim in this interview!) we do have AA roots. I am very cautious to not seem like Im claiming an identity that maybe isn't mine to claim. Did you see this interview I just did about "Who is Creole"? th-cam.com/video/S7F5qAQ_S8U/w-d-xo.html
@@nytn I have been following your story, you have don a great job. "Black" is a skin phenotype just as "White" is. Some Asian populations have skin tones a light "White" as some Europeans (Chinese, Koreans, Siberians, Japanese, etc). From following your story, I think you are an American of various ethnic groups which would be Irish, Italian, perhaps some ancestry from Spain due to your Mexican background along with Native-American and West African. In my view, u appear to me to look more Native American/European in your phenotype.
You and your brother look like Lola and her brother.!
Granny and her mom seem like awesome people to have known.
Grammy was the absolutely best!
the only difference between an indigenous US American and an indigenous Mexican American is where the colonizers drew the borders and what side their family was on. genetically, they're the same, but the cultures and languages are different cuz they were in different environments. in majority-white countries im Black and in majority-Black countries im white. even in majority white countries, i didnt feel comfortable claiming my Blackness, until i connected with Black citizens who accepted me in their communities. i found out some stuff about my family that's even closer than your great-grandmother, but i felt it wasn't right to claim it, since ive never been exposed to it. if i did end up connecting with a community and got to know a lot about them and felt accepted by them, i might eventually. but if knowing that doesn't have any impact on my life and i dont know enough about the culture to defend it in any argument, then id rather let it go
This comment was really open, and I appreciate that so much.
Wow 1983. I had no idea. Knowing your history is so important. That is why I always tell people just love folks. Saying you dont like a certain group of people is stupid. We are all human no matter what our make up. You have know idea who you really are until you take DNA test. That tells the truth. The family secrets will come out. You only know what you have been told. 😊. When I took Ancestry it was cool, scary and very eye opening. Confirmed some of the stories but in other cases Some more questions popped up. My biggest issue with Natchitoches La is finding records to confirm information. Just not sure where to look and find some information needed to move forward in my search. I am slowly viewing all of your videos. Loving each one. 💜
The family secrets ARE coming out and it is so freeing to me
My great grandmother was from Natchitoches as well. She was what they called a freed mallato. I can't find any information in the census of her as a child.
Loved this interview!!! Please do more.
Thank you, Jillian! You might like these other interviews: th-cam.com/video/hXvfe29KVO8/w-d-xo.html th-cam.com/video/z-wosKJ3hJc/w-d-xo.html
I am biracial. I have a whole white (mom) parent. I look like the spitting image of my dad…I don’t even look half white. So when I check boxes it’s usually Black American or ADOS. If they have a mixed race option I check that. But most times that is not even an option on forms.
Great interview, and very on point observation of identity at the end by your brother. Good luck in LA, if you do decide to go. God bless~
That's the plan! Thank you for being here:)
8:00 I felt that ✍🏾💭🧘🏾♀️👏🏽
Grammy is gorgeous 😍
I know 😭miss her so much
This is such an American aspect of human culture IMHO. Citizenship and a migrant culture.
Who is considered "white"/American (European descent); how and why.
I know this is a thing to most if not all cultures that have been colonized by Europeans as we started to travel the world for trade.
However this topic of Empire/Kingdom expansions and colonizing is older than that, and rooting in generational trauma, and other aspects.
I am Dutch, born and raised - I am not stereotypically Dutch looking. Which is typical for the more Southern Dutch population.
It goes back to the history and Roman Empire that colonized Germania Inferior. But The Lowlands (Netherlands) have also been under French rule and Spanish rule before we were "The Netherlands". But the population that lived here goes back to pre-history and the time of Doggerland more or less.
My roots in ways go back to this as well, but also other locations on this planet.
My grandfather on my mothers side was Spanish and "Roma" / Gypsy - which roots back to India.
My grandmother on my fathers side was a mixed and part of Jew descent.
My grandmother on my mothers side already had German mother.
And this mixing is/was normal here.
If we look at my family name - the line that would have been passed on if I had reproduced, this is Dutch, and even rooted in the location I was born and raised. But surnames are also a thing on their own, not everyone had them until it became law to have one.
In different cultures things get approached differently. Some cultures have all the names of the patriarchs that came before attached to theirs. And stuff like that.
Side bar; I grew up LDS - which is very big on genealogy (the making of a pedigree). I have Dutch & German(ic) ancestors, Spanish, French, Roma, Jewish, etc. But still am a Dutch citizen. I was born and raised in my country, as where my parents, but with the grandparents things begin to change a little bit more. Which technically already makes my parents "mixed". But here things are more different in this aspect of ordering society. But changed influenced by America. *Citizenship.*
I am a mutt like most people alive - also the human species originated in Africa. So we all go back to that - but that doesn't make us all Africans.
The history of genealogy:
Historically, in Western/European societies, the focus of genealogy was on the kinship and descent of rulers and nobles, often arguing or demonstrating *the legitimacy of claims to wealth and power.* (This is for all kingdoms and Empires, also those that pre-date European 'history'.)
The term often overlapped with heraldry, in which the ancestry of royalty was reflected in their coats of arms.
Modern scholars consider many claimed noble ancestries to be fabrications, such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle that traced the ancestry of several English kings to the god Wodan. This demi-god status is also tied in with the ruler aspect and genealogy.
Some family trees have been maintained for considerable periods.
The family tree of Confucius has been maintained for over 2,500 years and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest extant family tree. The fifth edition of the Confucius Genealogy was printed in 2009 by the Confucius Genealogy Compilation Committee (CGCC).
All this is a progression of that what once came before. Cultures normally don't change overnight, it takes generations - Dutch independence war (from Spain) took 80 years. We had Duchies - The Netherlands began with the union of the 7 lowlands. (But there were like 17 provinces (kingdoms/countries) that eventually formed the Netherlands, then the Belgium independence, the Luxembourgish. And of course our Empire expansion - colonization history - The spice trades that financed in large parts our independence obtaining as the Netherlands, the kingdom which still holds over-seas territories.
There are differences between the civilians and the ruling classes. It's not so much "the Dutch" but certain Dutch Families. And also in the formation of the USA - Vanderbilt, just to name one. Or Presidents: Van Buren, Roosevelt's, Bush's, etc.
American independence hinges on the Dutch that kept trading guns and ammunition with Americans at war with the British Empire, Anglo-Dutch wars were part to this ignoring the wishes of the British. It was the Dutch and the French recognition of the American independence that made it a fact globally speaking. All these and other subjects and topics are connected to this aspect of "race"/ethnicity as well.
I have a box of pictures that were my grandmother's .She passed before I was born thier is a picture of a young biracial boy it says our cousin Ernest on the back nobody knows who he is so the mystery remains
they've come a long way in genealogy, and ancestral fingerprints in Genetics, might be an exciting mystery to unravel for you in the future.
I have many mixed friends and relatives. Believe me, I have friends that look like both of you that grew up in the Black community and were excepted. So just embrace all your ancestry but don't feel guilty about your roots.
Stop diluting black genetics. Black is black, and mixed is mixed
I think people ask if you are native american because of the accessories you wear. I assumed that as well, but its because of the jewlrey you wear. I thought at first, that it was a way to represent your culture.
My grammy always wore turquoise jewelry and told me it goes with everything, I always think of her when I wear it :)
There needs to be a box for Unambiguously Black
At some point you have to declare your American. Regardless of any of your ancestry. You never realize this more until you travel to other country's. (A military brat with an extreme ancestry history) Glad you did your history, it's always FULL of unexpected surprises. 😅
Thank you. ❤🖤❤
So glad you are here!
Wow 1983??????
I know the feeling…
I think it's good to find out where we came from. But who we are involves how we were raised that doesn't change who we are or who've we become. Just my thoughts 😊
Convenient to Survive to say the least. It's emotional trauma,the gaslighting and some, it wears people out.More light and love you all.
you are right, so much gaslighting! It's hard to unravel the truth years later
He sounds like my brothers as far as not knowing much about his ancestry although I have been sharing the information that I've found. I'm the one in my family with the genealogy bug. Been researching my family for 24 years.
In the classic sense of “white” as in Anglo or Wasp… how did you see yourself as “white”
From the outside looking in you don’t look “white”.
When did Sicilians become “white” in America?
These black white labels are so weird yet we cling to them.
I find your channel fascinating. I first came across your channel on the video about your fathers background.
Reminds me of a Sicilian woman I met whose doctor suggested she get a dna test because she had sickle cell anemia.
Both parents Sicilian and her dna told her she was 46 percent African. Pretty much the average admixture of the average Sicilian.
Funny thing I saw a book that showed Sicilians photographed in National Geographic Magazine from the early 20th century.
The Sicilians were very dark, frizzy, kinky curly hair and more “black” features.
So we aren’t paint… what’s white and what’s black….categories we cling to.
I’m in my 50s and only three years ago did I find out I was half French Creole.
Knowing your history is so important.
Thank you for your channel and research.
I've been watching your videos and I get to the point where I ask myself: "What is the underlying reason for trying to determine your true heritage?"
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Is it so you can "appropriately" select the correct slot in documents/forms?.........if so, then what happens when you select one over the other? How does your selection come back to you? What "benefits" (from the government, etc.) do you get from selecting one over the other?.........the main question would then be "What is it that makes you feel that you're missing out on and that you see in others that don't look like you?
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Is it so you will know who to "hang-around" with?.....who to associate with?.....what customs/habits/etc. you need to pick up...........if so, then maybe you need to look into the root cause of why you feel so insecure and have a need "to belong".
I love knowing my family story. It's a passion as a historian to know my own family's history.
This side of the family was a huge question mark. It has been a satisfying and meaningful experience to understand what it was like for my mom's grandmother in Louisiana, how she saw her self, what the family history was, and why it all disappeared in NY.
I still check "other" on boxes or refrain from checking anything at all.
@@nytn Thank you for replying.
I guess it can become interesting when you find things you don't expect and when you try the whys, etc.
For some of us (I'm of Mexican heritage), it can be quite boring.
Finding my Mexican heritage was surprising! I bet your family tree has some really wild stories in it.
Consider taking a trip to west Africa to honor your African ancestors. Maybe even pour out libations for them while you are there...speak to them in prayer and let them know it was not all lost....you returned to the home they lost on their behalf.
I've been doing the research just like you for years and if you want to connect to all these places that is the ancestors telling you to connect yourself to get to know you can still identify yourself as which was raised as but honor your ancestors by at least getting to know them even if you could connect to some family try it you never know if they got the missing pieces of the puzzle
All your brothers are good looking.
Race is fairly new, it was created to keep people separated and to have a group think that they’re better than the other. We should be able to say “I’m American from….”. Culture is what really makes you.
Have you or your brother took a DNA test.. even if y'all haven't been part of any specific culture. They definitely dive deeper & tell you where your Ancestors came from.
My children are mixed...not enough of this or that to be included... Someone asked my 4 yr old son, "What are you?" His answer...."American"..lol Out of the mouths of babes. Fast fwd. Son is now 28 going on 29... Still "American" box to check..Multi or other. People look and see what they want to see...My son and kids don't care how others try and lable them... They are who they are...
They have Louisiana roots and ppl who "pass" but it doesn't define who they are as a whole and what they'll contribute to humanity in their lives.
LOL!!! I like what I like.....when trying to turn her onto the Ipod. So typical of some elderly folks. We all have them. So funny!!!
We should not have to check off “Boxes.”
Sadly, I know alot of ppl that r everything they don't usually identify as when it suits them.. Any other time they r just white, or Latin... Lol idk what that's like bc we were never in the dark about our ethnicities*.. Thank you mom and dad for always being open and honest and proud of everything that God made you.. 🖤💗🖤💗
Not one bit.
I've never seen a scholarly explanation of why being Black was a one drop thing, and being Native had a zillion reasons why you WEREN'T Native. Every time someone mixed, got a job or education, or moved away from a Rez, they were seen as "losing" a claim to being Indigenous. One of my Indigenous Elders told me, "we're the only race where people immediately think they can ask you how much Indigenous you are." Especially troubling because I've been told many or most Indigenous cultures didn't even HAVE a real concept of identity diminishing. We were/are strong, and people who married us became a part of us. I'm guessing the Indigenous stuff was to make it easier to steal land and resources, and the Black stuff was to keep a permanent group to be considered inferior by the mainstream. It's all weird anyways, and total nonsense playing back into some jerks' constructed idea of race.
Dr. Henry Louis Gates has done quite a bit of research on this...even from a Native American/Indigenous people perspective.
58 percent of African Americans have at least 12.5% European ancestry (the equivalent of one great-grandparent);
19.6 percent of African Americans have at least 25% European ancestry (the equivalent of one grandparent);
1 percent of African Americans have at least 50% European ancestry (the equivalent of one parent) (Gates is one of these, he discovered, having a total of 51% European ancestry among various distant ancestors); and
5 percent of African Americans have at least 12.5% Native American ancestry (equivalent to one great-grandparent)
the one-drop rule was used to racially classify people. ...as Race is a social construct in the United States. Information is out there, you have to look for it..
There is a PBS documentary on Race classification.
I enjoyed your video a very powerful and moving explanation with respect to your heritage, the time invested to discover what you weren't aware of, and that all coming to light. I think many did pass as white to avoid being stigmatized as a lesser human being according to a law that was enacted for primarily that purpose. We know that many slave owners slept with their female slaves for sexual gratification due to the fact they were the owner's property to do as they deemed fit. I had the feeling that you were very interested in this endeavor but by the same token you were surprised and fascinated by your history as anyone would be, I have an interesting family history as well but I embrace all that contributes to my heritage and I tell my children you are a combination of many and that many is what you are today. When my son checks his box he checks whatever the feel like and that is his prerogative we laugh about it every time and say let them figure it out.
At this point, it completely doesn't matter if someone has some black ancestry. I recently found out I'm 3% Scottish, but I don't feel any connection to Scotland and its culture. It's completely meaningless.
Anecdotally Grandmothers genealogy descriptions are let’s just say creative!
LOL!
@@nytn Hey
th-cam.com/video/89lYjBsL8qM/w-d-xo.html
Brion McClanahan Podcast
@8:30 mark
I think 🤔 he is referencing you.
8:11 It’s not that obvious!😂 You both remind me of relatives or associates one has known for decades. What we are is often more than commonly observed phenotypical traits. 👍🏿
that is the truth!
Not always
President Eisenhower mom, looked like a black passing biracial
I never knew it, until i saw her picture
Italian Irish alwsys mixed
You do look like a lovely native American
Your Grammy seems like she was a ball!
I sooo see the black in your brother and grandmother
Love the conversation. IMHO you don't have to check any box you don't want to like someone suggested. Lol Sometimes I check other and say UNICORN lol Proud Creole Woman Of Color with Parents, Grands and Great Grands of vastly different backgrounds. Just by taking the helm of discovery you acknowledge. Passe Blanc has hurt lots and help lots, yet we are here. Nothing to apologize for, wasn't our choice. Awareness is everything. ♡
I love how you wrote that, we can choose to be aware but at the end of the day...we are here and inherited a lot of things that we had nothing to do with
I’m black American. I never believed in the ODR. Therefore, people should identify with their dominant makeup. However, respect all of your ancestry
In latin america as thumb rule you are how you look like even if you have some other admixture. That creates unusual fluidity of race, also colorism. You have whites with black, indigenous or middle eastern. Also the cultures are more merged together, not many people would say I'm afro, Italian, spanish, hypen nationality. Is good is also bad. There are not solution to this, i like to say people are people and that is.
Also Irish,French Huganots, and Spanish, and other European people are also swarthy complexion people 😊.
No, they are not. Fool.
What are they mixed with?
You guys look like modern day Egyptians. It's interesting that you all are part mediterranean, part African.
Technically you are still Italian. Being Italian doesn't mean what people think it means.
One drop rule is the origin pf Blacks persons.
Those 1 drop rule recipients then switched positions with Creole Americans because they couldn't stand being second class to people darker in complexion.
She really looks alot like her grammy..
I always say I am human. We all stemmed from the same source.
you look like my cousin and i'm 100% greek, so everyone from the mediterranean basin is related.
You wouldn’t “know” if it isn’t the culture you have been taught or immersed in from birth. Those of us who have been culturally Black all of our lives can guess or sort of tell that a white-skinned person is probably mixed with something else and that they may or may not know, but that’s kind of our learned survival tactic in a really cruel world. There is no way you guys would have known or had any reason to even investigate what you were told, especially if your older relatives had what they saw as a really good reason to keep that kind of secret. And they did-Black folks got killed, discriminated against, treated like sub-humans, and your grandma was able to escape that because of her skintone and willingness to leave Blackness behind. And to be honest, it’s not the easiest decision in the world to suddenly be willing to identify as culturally Black, knowing that it’s not been all that wonderful for folks based on that racial designation. And simply because you found some surprising DNA results. Nor was it probably easy for your grandma to leave the culture,but once she made that decision, she never strayed. I love being Black and would not change it, but my situation is different and I wouldn’t automatically ask someone who discovers that their bloodlines are different from what they thought to automatically be aligned and start struggling- just simply to respect that it’s a complex culture and a great responsibility for those of us who didn’t have the choice to escape the bad parts. I am proud of you for bringing this to light-there’s a whole lot of history coming from Louisiana.
Regina, this made so much sense to me. Thank you for taking the time to share this. I think there is a tension between uncovering your other roots, and maybe seeing a different identity in yourself. I'd love to find a way to honor my ancestors without pretending to be something Im not. Louisiana is so unique:)
Not all Italians are dark . My dad a green eyed blond . His mother s green eyed dark red hair and his dad straight black hair and aqua eyes. Northerners are fair
Your very firm Grandma is par for the course for us black folks, lol! And a firm Mama, too! 🤣
I know what you mean... Puerto Rican Irish and Indigenous American... not to mention black and all around Caucasus.
We can always tell. Both of you look like my cousins. I’m black, my cousins are light skinned.
They don't look black at all.
he looks like another handsome "italian"
I could tell there was some African blood running through your veins, and almost all African Americans have European blood it changes how you see people and how you see yourself
why would you feel guilty? you dont look black at all. its different if you were fully aware of your ethnicity and you intentionally hiding it for negative reasons.
After watching this channel, all its taught me is that one particular group of whites who emigrated/started America (bad phrasing i know) were non inclusive to others who are classified as Caucasians.
this for me doesnt prove people are racist... but tribal. i do believe many are biased but racist is a very strong word and statement, used way too freely these days.
many groups are biased or what have you towards their own kind EG: Hispanics Greeks Italians Africans....my question to you is why do you think that wouldnt extend to groups outside of their own?
its one thing to be interested in your own ancestry or when meeting people what their ancestry is as it gives insight to them and their history but also just interesting to learn about other cultures. but when its being objectified and obsessed over it becomes unhealthy.