Is my family racist? FULL Q and A with NYTN

[@nytn]

Thank you so much to all the kindred spirits with me here on the channel. We will never stop asking questions! Discover how to leave a meaningful legacy with our "Be a Good Ancestor" course. Learn valuable techniques and insights to preserve and share your family's stories for generations to come. Grab yours now at www.nytonashville.com and embark on a transformative journey of preserving your family's history! 🟢Send me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal ⚪Save YOUR family stories: www.nytonashville.com ⚪Want to connect? facebook.com/findinglolafilm/ 🟢Grab your own Ancestry DNA test now*! : amzn.to/3UxGKJx

[@nytn]

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyoder Dostoevsky. If you stick with that book, it will be rewarding!!

[@vblake530530]

@@nytn E Pluribus Unum , Young Historian. E Pluribus Unum 🇺🇸

[@StartNowAct]

There were NO “enslaved white people” sorry not sorry to disappoint but carry on ❤❤and I love all gods people/ creation because we all will answer for our behavior

[@nytn]

@@StartNowAct that's 100% not true. Research the Vikings and how they created their economy via slavery. Also my family were enslaved AA in Louisiana...

[@vatricegeorge]

​@saracolon2677to compare enslaves white Vikings to the chattel slavery is wrong.

[@lynnhooley7608]

"Home schooling 3 children, and trying to raise good people" God bless you lady!

[@Old_Sailor85]

The most important job.

[@nytn]

Thank you, it's the hardest job I ever had somehow! :)

[@ajdib88]

Never feel guilt! You made Grandma Lola's life longer, and more spectacular! These are the stories that should have been passed down, and you've found them. I pray you never keep feeling any guilt, but be proud you researched this and your reconnected our family! Had you not done this, who knows if our family would have ever been reconnected more fully. Everything you do is spectacular, be more proud! Love you!

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

I would imagine today Lola would be so, so proud of you for putting all the family branches back on the tree and bringing healing and knowledge to all the cousins... and to us "distant cousins" watching. Please don't say you're selfish for bringing the (at the time) necessary "secret" of Lola's heritage to light. I love how you have evolved from looking at your family's story to looking at the story of race and class and how they were viewed in the US and you've moderated some excellent discussions along the way.

[@nytn]

Thank you for being here, Im always glad to hear from you! :)

[@christopherreed8152]

Thank you for your channel and your hard work. You are appreciated.

[@nytn]

I appreciate that so much :)

[@jeanettepaulson4525]

If families really knew who their ancestors were and what they went through to come to America perhaps we wouldn’t be so quick to judge new immigrants. Thank you for opening people’s minds about a few facts!

[@ghostlyimageoffear6210]

We can judge the overall effects of disparate and high volume immigration over time.

[@Nisa1971]

I enjoy your videos and love the way you answered some of the very complex questions. Sadly, the reasons for not revealing your heritage are still valid in some circles depending on where we live. Great video! 😊

[@bemoguy]

Kudos to you for homeschooling your kids! Our public school system, IMO is profoundly broken. My wife and I home schooled our son for the first 14 years of his life, and it has paid great dividends! He is a fine, godly (we are people of faith) young man, who has good, line-minded friends, and is always helping others. He didn't go to college, but he is excelling in his professional career. He learned how to learn, and that skill has given him a definite "leg up"!

[@nytn]

For the most part, college is the biggest scam going IMO. Sounds like you guys did a fantastic job, I hope I can look back and say the same!

[@scaringclaring5240]

I love that you don't have social media and that what you have is recent and purposeful. Shows you are Independent and not a follower in personality.

[@bluesforthecool]

Q & A was on point! You did a fantastic job Danielle... Aloha and Mahalos Plenty🤙🏿

[@nytn]

Thank you so much!! It was a great question

[@dw7312]

Truth matters. Guilt, I think she will be relieved and probably love even more.

[@doylecole]

I appreciate your courage. You are a beautiful, old soul. In the future your children will love you for this work.

[@nytn]

Thank you so much! Thats the best compliment I could receive. Being an old soul was hard in highschool but is paying in dividends now :)

[@mrcead]

You can't help of you have what society would call racist relatives, it is what it is. What you can do is give your friends a heads up so they don't blindly walk into an interpersonal buzzsaw with that part of your family - which happens quite often in a society like ours. You don't have to disown them, you don't have to hate them but you do have to be honest with the set of cards in your lap. That's pretty much all we can do, speak truthfully and indicate how we feel about it. Nothing more genuine than that and people can't expect more from you than that

[@kem1233]

Better question. Why so many black men from usa are dating out.

[@pameladeleone135]

I love your videos. Happy to hear that you love New Mexico. I moved to NM 15 months ago. I have wanted to for 30 years. Been busy living in other places. Finally made it here at age 70. Love the state, it's beautiful, the people are very nice and the food is the best in the world( for me)!!! I've only been half way around the world, but I am sure even if I saw the rest of the world that I haven't been to, I would still love New Mexican food more than any other! I am Italian also. my grandparents were from Naples. I went there and meant family. Keep up the good work!!🥰

[@nytn]

you are an inspiration! I am determined to go back for good at some point. I miss that food every single day. Christmas style, every time.

[@pameladeleone135]

@@nytn You are welcome to stay here anytime. I was so happy to hear you say that NM was your favorite place in the world. Also the Geography King ,(youtube)said that New Mexico is his favorite state in the US. He lives in TN nowalso, I believe. Small world. I was living 6 miles from the Tennesse border in KY before I moved here. This is most likely my last move. Like I said, I am very glad that I made it here. 🥰

[@pameladeleone135]

@@nytn PS yes, christmas style

[@hadast3806]

I lived in New Mexico for 3 years two decades ago for college it truly is a land of enchantment and had never left my mind and heart. Wonderful cultures, great food and the kindest people you can ever meet and remain friends with for years!

[@pameladeleone135]

@@hadast3806 Great to hear! I see it the same you you do.

[@chokloconqueso8446]

first & foremost as a half-Italian/half-Latino teacher from the Boston area living in Florida I love your channel. *AT FIRST* i completely misjudged your channel & your intentions- the first video i encountered was “How Italians Became White” & my first thought was: here is this swarthy, dark-haired Italian woman w a twinge of Northeastern accent wondering about Italian “whiteness” & i immediately assumed “heres another vaguely beige white chick trying to make her case for an invitation to the cookout…” but the info was solid so i kept watching & realized i couldnt have been more wrong. i had no clue u came to this as a self-identifying white person who found “passing” ancestors in the Jim Crow south. it would have been so easy to just chalk up your physical appearance to the usual Southern Italian/Sicilian “mystery meat” of “MENAWA” (MiddleEastern/NorthAfrican/WestAsian) that have passed thru southern Italy & the Mediterranean islands for centuries. at the “extremes” these genes can manifest as strongly as someone like Italian-Canadian pop singer Alessia Cara, who could pass for anything from Latina to Middle Eastern to even “mulata”, or to a slightly lesser extent Nicholas Turturro who again could pass in Latin America or the Middle East, etc. where places like Italy & Greece have historically been at the center of the crossroads of civilizations from all directions, at this stage in human development with ease of mobility and travel ANYWHERE can be the “new Italy” with layers upon layers of ancestry buried underneath centuries of changing “racial classifications” obscuring what we know about our own family trees. thank you for sharing your journey with us and teaching us a little bit more about how easily these classifications &, consequently, our own self-image, can change… sometimes with the mere stroke of a pen on a draft card.

[@galleya-tx3jy]

The Spanish and Portuguese possess a lot of North African DNA from being conquered and ruled by the Moors from North Africa for many centuries. You forgot Spain and Portgual are crossroads countries as well. Greeks, by the way are much more racially homogeneous than those other Southern Europeans as on DNA tests they score majority Greek DNA.

[@StirUpYourPurpose]

Great Q & A...I believe you handled the questions as best as you can and in a civic way. One thing I would only mention is to take care of you wellbeing guard your Heart for you are unveiling certain things that some would rather like to remain buried but we are in a time and moment that these conversations must be heard and no one can stop it.

[@nytn]

Thank you

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

Thank you for doing this Q&A. ❤ It can be tricky and bring out some deep emotions. You did a great job! 👍👍

[@nytn]

Thank you so much! always so happy to hear from you

[@Reborn2h2o]

Perhaps thinking of Lola as having to hide who she was to survive and have a life she wanted. You are bringing to life that part of her, which she, out of necessity , had to hide but secretly clung to . Think of all the comments she heard about her people, whether Native, Spanish, African, and she had to smile and pretend it had no effect on her. Now you are putting a voice to what she couldn't say.

[@nytn]

Thank you so much for this☺. It's what I hope

[@karenblack2869]

Blocked out the BoyzIIMen concert! 🤣 Thank you for answering my question! And raising good human beings is the noblest of endeavors. Kudos to you for that and for these videos.

[@nytn]

Thank you so much for being here with me!

[@karenblack2869]

@@nytn It's a pleasure and privilege to witness this journey of yours! Thank you for bringing us along. Your dedication, bravery and wisdom won't be lost on your children (however, you might have to wait till after puberty for any meaningful acknowledgement!) 😊

[@jameelISRAELJUDAH]

Your amazing, such a beautiful and lively soul. I appreciate your zeal for these things because its rekindled that fire for me. Thank you and God Bless you!

[@nytn]

You are so welcome

[@jeffg.8964]

Rod Serling-bravo!

[@japeri171]

All our ancestors made mistakes.What we must do is not make the same mistakes they made.

[@mannysawa9779]

Listening to you brought me lots of memories about my Italian reunification lessons in history class in intermediate school, Victor Emanuel II, Di Count Camilo Carvour and the great Guiseppe Garibaldi. Why we studied Italian history in Cameroon, God alone knows. That name alone brought chills to my skin.

[@nytn]

I need to learn more about Garibaldi

[@lucianomezzetta4332]

You learned more about Italian history going to an African school than 25 million Americans of Italian descent learn in 16 years of so called education.

[@antonevelone1439]

Personally, speaking for myself what I have gather you're someone who care like any normal person regardless of origin of ethnicity, just wanted to know. You have done a beautiful job in sharing your experience on your journey to connecting dots that was intentionally meant to stigmatize you and anyone else based on skin color...Racism as in division...❤

[@Danny-fs1hk]

I lived in New Mexico for a bit and loved it. It is a hidden gem. Wonder what your favorite restaurants were and where you taught.

[@BronzeSista]

i believe your great grandmother Lola did know, thats why she cut ties with her family.

[@shewhomustbobeyed1]

I was so thrilled when I thought I had Italian ancestry in my DNA test results. Lo and behold they changed it to Portuguese. My family’s from Puerto Rico. I was so disappointed. I love Italian culture.. present day and ancient history. My roots are everywhere. African, European, and indigenous. Which is pretty typical for people of Latin origin. Proud of it all

[@lynnwilliams8295]

I agree! New Mexico and Arizona are beautiful. Just don’t go in July or August lol. We went in April and we drove all night and we’re driving in to NM just as the sun came up. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The mountains look a purplish black and the sky looks like it’s on fire. We saw friends in Arizona and they had lemon trees in the back yard which I thought was so cool coming from the Midwest. I was surprised by the lack of grass but the rock gardens in the front yards were so neat.

[@XHobbiesPrime]

You kind dodged real hard on the racism question.

[@N_ReYeS]

Kind of? She totally dodged it w a smart remark,Are u? Answer the question lady smh we already know some of her family are totally racist against themselves and that's sad. Nd deny knowing their ethnicity lol sad really

[@The7WISDOMSOFPROVERBS]

I am black and we are Chickasaw from south East tx. My dna d1

[@brachiator1]

Very thoughtful responses to questions. Thanks.

[@t-bone6467]

Those who are focused on "racist" relatives. Be aware of something known as "implicit bias." It's a known psychological behavior every human has. The point is we all have work to do to identify and hopefully diminish the subconscious thoughts that make us see others as threats. Racist is just one type. There's many more implicit bias as well.

[@lsowner10]

Having a bias and being either a flaming or closet anti-black racist are two different things! Clearly you don’t understand the two so which one are you?

[@t-bone6467]

@@lsowner10 study up on the term implicit bias. It's all the same spectrum and every human has it... that's the point to acknowledge we are all wired that way and actively do the work to minimize these impulses. Racism , ageism , sexism, the list is long. In fact you know nothing about me yet reacted with aggressive language, illustrating how implicit bias works.

[@t-bone6467]

@@felipejose8834 your post is very difficult to follow. Maybe edit or rewrite. Also, research *implicit bias" and once you grasp the concept, let's see your comment then.

[@JCSAXON]

@@lsowner10Fire in your wire?

[@GoGetFree]

Generalization of everything to everyone. Typical rhetoric. 😅

[@pnutqpublic]

i feel like the question at 21:03 could only have been asked by a white person. i always identified as white myself because of my Scottish and Italian grandfathers but since becoming Muslim and studying my family history i no longer feel comfortable identifying as white. my family history is so eerily similar to yours that a lot of these questions felt like someone was asking them of me, especially this one. and had i been asked this, i would say of course not, my family was too busy desperately struggling to be white that whiteness was the gold standard in my families. even though we weren't regarded as white by many we tried very hard to identify ourselves as white so we had nothing but great things to say about whiteness to the point that we didn't have to have our cultures taken from us, we hid them ourselves out of shame. but also, to ask someone who has identified as white for the majority of their lives this question is also a subtle way to remind them that no, just because you spent your life identifying as white, you are not. i've gotten a lot more of these questions since i started wearing hijab. i used to get them sometimes as a white-passing person when people would learn my obviously Italian sounding last name but the frequency definitely increased with the hijab.

[@onegentletouch]

Jane Elliott, a known speaker on the issue of white supremacy, acknowledges after decades of doing workshops with tens of thousands of people, that she is racist. It’s part of the western mindset and even with work it lingers. The denial of it is the main problem

[@nytn]

Yikes for Jane Elliot. It is not my mindset. I will say, I’ve experienced people of all shades making racist remarks to me though.🤷🏽‍♀️

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

@@nytn that lady doesn't teach - she bullies. She can go home with her woke angry liberal crap. She needs some Metamucil and a new attitude, I tellya.

[@nytn]

Im from NY, no one can bully me now. :)

[@nytn]

"Admit that you are racist.." This is the way to keep dividing the world. I'll let this stay up so other folks can see what NOT to do. Hope you have a great day:)

[@JustMe-gs9xi]

The funny part about all this is that Italians DID mix with Northern Africans,,,,but old school Italians,,, i am Not sure they really knew this... Old school Italians that grew up in villages and cities in Italy lived pretty isolated from other people. Due to economics,,and they didn't travel really. they were poor and strugglling in the 1800's.

[@anglosaxonking]

I recently discovered your channel, and I have to say I totally love it.

[@nytn]

Well that made my day, so glad to have you ☺️☺️

[@bemoguy]

Rod Serling was truly a brilliant mind. It's so tragic that he died at such a young age. Imagine what he would have produced if he lived another 40+ years!!

[@nytn]

absolutely brilliant

[@Matzah1982]

There was a Confederate general during the War between the states named William Taliaferro who was partly of Italian heritage. He was from a MD. slave owning family who owned a tobacco plantation

[@demekonrn]

Interesting. There are a ton of black Taliaferros in Memphis,TN.

[@Andy-ix2ox]

I think you are correct when you say you have to relate attitudes to the times, looking at how people react in the past from the perspective of modern sensibilities is a fools errand.

[@thenotoriousunc]

Wrong will always be wrong no matter what time it is ,that is an excuse for evil deeds not justification .

[@peachygal4153]

@@thenotoriousunc True, but sadly people were not aware they wrong. Ignorance is no excuse. We all know that. Just be glad you live now and not in the time of Jim Crow.

[@tashabellamichelle3477]

Yes to Depeche Mode ❤ loved them since middle school!

[@thomasspicer4130]

They are no more racist than every other family on the planet don’t over think it honestly I have traveled the world and although often very welcoming everywhere I have been especially in Asia India and China and south east Asia Thailand etc everyone was very racist against both whites and blacks sometimes in a jokey way sometimes in a no we don’t want you here kind of way. People do what they do to survive we all are a product of our time our culture and our circumstances.

[@stephanienwadieiiamhybasia]

It is good to reveal family secrets.( after the secret starters are no longer with us). I am glad I know “some of the truth “ now. 😂 At 70 years old. I may never learn more.

[@selinaBARMAR2565]

We are our ancestors genetically, we still carry in our experiences struggles that pertain to our ancestors histories to a point. But how about each of us being accountable today for how we threat each other every opportunity we get to treat another human being right regardless of how they look, or what they believe.

[@vblake530530]

Absolutely! Rod Serling is THE BEST!

[@ivyd5485]

great questions, great answers ❤

[@michaeltaylor8501]

I'm glad to hear that your family isn't racist. My family was though - & while it's a sad thing it's also quite hillarious. My mom used to complain about Mexicans & said that she didn't want any brown babies in the family. My dad hated Black folk & he wouldn't allow me to date a freckled strawberry blonde gal with fine straight-hair because he - & he alone - thought she looked as if she might have some Black blood in her. Now my dad was adopted & my mom knew about her ancestry only a few generations back; & neither of my parents wanted to take a DNA test; so, after they passed away I took several DNA tests including an Ancient Ancestry Analysis from CRI Genetics in addition to those testing only recent ancestry. And it turns out that I've got ethnic markers for various Mexican Amerindian tribes & for the Luhya in Kenya (Black folk) - among many other White & non-White inherited ethnic markers. So, this means that my dad missed seeing either his own - or his wife's - Black ancestry, & my mom perpetuated those brown Mexican peoples by having babies of Mexican ancestry herself. 🤣 It's foolish & anti-Christ to hate folk over race &/or skin color (that is, to hate as in the sense of loathing & having malice in mind - as opposed to the type of hate that simply infers a preference as in loving something or someone a little less than another).

[@vinnyfalcone]

Honestly, my parents and grandparents were very prejudiced. I was raised by black nannies, so I learned as are all the same. Of my 4 siblings, I was the most influenced by this. I wish we could culturally return to colorblindness.

[@nytn]

I think sometimes it is more latent than overt, which make it easier for us as children to internalize.

[@johnnyearp52]

We never were colorblind.

[@ConnorMarc]

Interesting stuff.

[@domanique813]

I think some of those countries from your DNA came from your dads side lol. My parents are sicilian (dad from Palermo, and moms parents from Agrigento) and i took 23andme. It came up 90% sicilian and the rest was iranian, egyptian, sudanese, mesopotamian, levantine, broadly north african, and broadly west asian(middle eastern). My great uncle also took it and got all the same countries except for Sudan, he had Nigeria and he also had Malayali

[@marcellocolona4980]

I was blessed to have an exceedingly non-racist family. Ethnically I’m Mexican (Basque), Sicilian, Calabrese, Bavarian and Alsatian. I retired with one star (O-7) after 20+ years in the US Navy and can say that the military was the least racist segment of society, a true meritocracy in which we all bleed red. That was almost 20 years ago when I retired and went to work for the UN F&AO in Rome. Unfortunately, it looks like the military is going tribal nowadays, which will kill it, sadly.

[@thenotoriousunc]

I was in the army and dealt with racism on a daily basis which was why I got out early ,it’s always amusing to hear whites claim racism doesn’t exist for them .

[@marcellocolona4980]

@@thenotoriousunc I served 4 years in the USMC right out of high school in 1968 and I never saw any overt racism. I then went to college and grad school for 8 years and accepted a direct commission in the Navy, where I served over 20 years, most with CINCPAC Pearl. I can’t speak to your experience in the Army, only mine in the Corps and Navy. Every sailor and officer under my command got a fair shake without regard to race, color, religion or anything else other than competence, as it should be. I’d be curious where you served that you encountered racism; was it in the South? Almost my entire military career was in the Pacific-Pearl Harbor, Subic Bay, Okinawa, Diego Garcia-and briefly in Pensacola, where I live now in retirement.

[@thenotoriousunc]

YOU are not black a key fact you seem to ignore in your broad assessment of there being no racism in the military ! Of course you jar heads have never been all that smart ,cannon fodder doesn’t need to be .@@marcellocolona4980

[@thenotoriousunc]

And the hell you are a marine flying a foreign flag ? I think you are liar claiming stolen valor @@marcellocolona4980

[@vblake530530]

As for your Great-grandmother. I think I told you already that YOU ARE YOUR ANCESTORS. I wasn’t trying to be poetic, my fellow New Yorker. You are one of many manifestations of a spiritual stream of consciousness that folks call ancestors. An unfortunate term because it it implies fractionation. There are no “PARTS”. When you speak , SHE SPEAKS. You wouldn’t even be able to fix your mouth to say, (Are you proud me) if she wasn’t already saying she was. Just a little bit lost in translation, because you think there’s some kinda separation. Of course she’s proud of you. What Big-Mama wouldn’t be. Hell, I’m proud of you, and I don’t even know you.

[@nytn]

THANK YOU. I am growing a little more confident with every video. Trying to find the right path.

[@zoecrowhurst9177]

Have you watched the PBS Voices series? They do an episode on black masking Indians? I bet that you would find it very interesting!

[@nytn]

I have not!

[@vahaneloyan]

The worst thing you can be in 2023 is racist? Not a murderer or kiddy rapist?

[@nytn]

I dont subscribe to that myself, no

[@dorianduka]

@@mikejones-wn1sw it seems many on the dark spectrum of color don't know their own history or have any intention to learn the problem with opportunistic people like that it that they will do anything to get short -time rewards what is making any co-existence with them ...difficult if not impossible

[@vahaneloyan]

@@nytn it’s feel that way though.

[@thenotoriousunc]

Racists have been murderers and rapists throughout history ,do you live in Florida ?

[@nikiyoussef55]

there is connection between racism and murder severe racism can lead both rape murder and masacres i dont know why you think it is a minor crime

[@TimeTraveller010]

Abraham Lincoln offered Garibaldi American citizenship or naturalization as it were then. Two brothers from Calabria initiated the unification movement before Garibaldi. The brothers were jailed or murdered by assassins for sowing dissent. This information is according to a conversation I had with an Italian in Australia. Garibaldi had a numinous presence of him that garnered the Italian voices, he was able to muster man power to push the fledgling movement towards Italian unification. Garibaldi was a very interesting character with a martial spirit. In Uruguay he took part in the civil war that took place in the 1880s (that date maybe incorrect, and Italian historian may know the details) Re Sicily, you may like to know Southern Italy has close cultural and folkloristic ties with Argentina and the city of Sao Paolo in Brazil. Millions of Italians immigrated to Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil. There were a hand full of enterprising Italians that established towns in Peru, Colombia and less so Chile. You're aware the former president of Brazil is of Italian heritage...(?) Jair Bolosnaro. His maternal great grand father was German, however he is very much Italian Brazilian >.

[@nytn]

This is all new to me, thank you!

[@luvlyval587]

I homeschool as well 😊. Do you know if Lila was able to go to school? Did she go to the white school or the back school? That answer may give you insight on her thought process after she married.

[@nytn]

She did not go to school! Great question though, I dont know what school she would have gone to. But, she did end up becoming a nurses aid at a hospital when she moved to NY. I know she worked hard to get to that place.

[@clementmckenzie7041]

Yes, some of my relatives are racist. Yes, many of my ancestors were racist. Some of my reactions, thoughts, and assumptions are myopic racialized and so racist. I don't identify with any of my white ancestors, I could never identify myself as black with European ancestry and that is a racist paradigm. I try not to look away from any of that. It stifles my personal growth. I can't challenge my racism if I do.

[@MA-yh2ko]

Why wouldn't it be easy to say you're mixed race?

[@Truthseeker7771000]

If you find out your a person of color you need to identify as one an learn about your heritage for your ancestors sake. I would want my children an descendants to know my culture an my life, period

[@nytn]

absolutely! I have spent a lot of time learning about my heritage on this channel. I wish I had grown up with that knowledge.

[@Truthseeker7771000]

@@nytn that's wonderful and a beautiful thing. Many ancestors an great grandparents couldn't embrace who they were but we can for them. Many African Americans like myself have native heritage where our ancestors were forced to just be termed negro an couldn't be or partake in any of their native culture but today we have freedom to more than ever

[@shewhomustbobeyed1]

Omg! I LOVE Rod Serling.. am an avid Twilight Zone fan. Always watch the marathons on the SciFi channel. Never miss it. Black and white ONLY. I homeschooled my daughter as well… great choice ❤

[@chrisgriffiths8454]

In the Bible Jesus beseeches us to love each other as much as he's loved us.

[@thenotoriousunc]

The simple fact is if you even have to ask that question the answer is probably yes . I too come from a creole heritage were the answer to that question depended on who you asked . But even the ones who did not claim to be black never liked white people ,we were separate from other races ,we were creoles . We never hid who we were from anyone we are very proud of that unique lineage .Like immigrants today we value culture over race ,we realize for people who have centuries of mixed blood race no longer means anything at all .At least not for us .We are relics of the past while being at the same time a glimpse of the future .

[@rasheed7934]

Y'all look down on black people while resenting white people.

[@jokermanthemechanic]

By the end of the day we are all humans. So race shouldn’t matter. So keep doing good things in life. And avoid evil people and all cost. If you are a good person no one can make you change are be evil. Love your life and do what you think is right. I love what you are doing Danielle. I’m just as confused as you are about my Ancestry. I’m from Louisiana and I’m very gifted with mechanical skills. Never went to college are trade school. But I’m a dame good mechanic. I love who ever gave me these Genetics.

[@momolovestar4207]

Your page ie great your page is breaking down the falseaties of race & how it has affected our country & your family thank you

[@nytn]

thank you for being here and asking these questions along with me :)

[@Myopinionmattersthemost]

Having a bigoted or prejudice opinion doesn't make a person racist. Even using a racial slur once or twice doesn't make a person racist. If a person goes out of their way to oppress or discriminate against someone because their race culture or ethnicity they are practicing racism.

[@polofunk]

Yep you're Racist

[@jerometurner8759]

Ever consider speaking with or interviewing someone like Henry Louis Gates Jr.? As a reminder he's the host of Finding Your Roots.

[@nytn]

I just made a video the other day on it! Read my mind

[@jerometurner8759]

@@nytn Nice! Looking forward to it! When will you post it?

[@highflyer5562]

Danielle…. I am puzzled over your Constant Questioning of why your Great-grand mother did what she did regarding your family’s identity when she left Louisiana. You, yourself have done videos on how it was in Louisiana before and after the Civil War. However, you seem to have no concept or understanding of how the changes in the Laws made people like your Great-grandmother feel ( Deep Down in their Hearts). As a very brief summary I would say that before the Civil War there was a Three tiered Legal Racial System in Louisiana: there were the “White” People ( obviously Free), there were the “Black” people ( 95% who were enslaved), and then there were the Gens De Couleur Libre (who were primarily the Multi-Racial Offspring of the early French or Spanish settlers in the Louisiana Territory …..who’s existence and expansion began long before Statehood). The Gens De Couleur Libre had a great many rights and privileges that were not given to enslaved people; for example they could own property, hold public office, travel freely, and had many other Freedoms. Your Great-grandmother…was indeed part of the Free Gens De Couleur Libre legal class of people in Louisiana. [Note: Yes, there were Native Americans in Louisiana, but unless they were part of a Legally recognized “tribe” ( as many were not)….then they were usually counted as one of the Non-White groups.] However, after the end of the Civil War….with the great influx of many powerful and controlling Northerners into Louisiana - they passed a Law around 1894….that abolished the Three Tiered Racial System. Under the new Law…..only Two Racial Categories were permitted in Louisiana……you were either White or You were Black! OVERNIGHT……..WITH A SWIPE OF A PEN……..ALL OF THE RIGHTS OF THE PEOPLE OF THE GEN’S DE LIBRE CLASS WERE THROWN OUT THE WINDOW…….AND THESE PREVIOUSLY “FREE” PEOPLE……..WERE FROM THAT DATE FORWARD CONSIDERED AS…..AND TREATED AS……..NO MORE THAN “ BLACK” former slaves. That’s just the way it was! Your Great-grand Mother was part of that Class of people! I remember my Grandfather always telling us that when he was around 12 years old ( ie. around 1894…..his Father’s “White” friend yelled accross the River to him and said: Hey “A…..”… Ya’ll Got to Go for COLORED NOW! I’m not going to explain that - it should be obvious! That was the End of any Freedoms for the Gens De Couleur Libre! Given the above scenerio………exactly what was a highly intelligent and physically gifted “Former Free-Person of Color” to do? While many people handled this in a great many different ways……….Many Thousands of Others…Like Your Great-grandmother…….took the option to: GET THE HELL OUT OF DODGE! Perhaps I’m just steeped in Old Ways, but I have always felt that one of the PRIMARY things that a parent MUST do ( as handed down by my ancestors for many years) - - - “IS TO MAKE WHAT EVER SACRIFICES NECESSARY TO CREATE A BETTER LIFE FOR YOUR OFFSPRING”. Don’t turn your back and leave your offspring to the whims of the wind………….. no - - carry them on your back and ……push them……..towards opportunities and a Better Life! With that background and frame of reference……if you knew what was happening to “ANYBODY LEGALLY CONSIDERED BLACK”……and especially for people who were Previously Free (and who never thought of themselves or considered themselves as “Black”- and did not have “Black” physical features…….then getting out of Louisiana was a very valid option for people like your Great-grandmother. Oh….regarding your question: What Would Your Great-grandmother Think of you now….I think she’s be very proud of you, though she might be as puzzled as I am over your constant question as to “Why She Did It”???? Given the options the answer should be Extremely Obvious! Also, you said in the video that you wonder if someone in Louisiana had perhaps said something to her……..or maybe they did something to her son. Danielle…..a former Gens De Couleur Libre such as your Great-grandmother could not go a day……in Louisiana without discrimination or insults being thrown at her from whites or even from some blacks! With regards to “doing something to her son” ….I specifically know that one of your close relatives - ((1st name omitted for privacy _ _ _ _ _ Conde ( now deceased - - and appearance-wise you could easily be his little sister)……well between 1967 & 1969 (_ _ _ _ _ Conde) was Beat Up and Thrown into the Streets for the act of entering an “All White” Saloon in Natchitoches. He looked as white as any man - he was also tall and slender and very handsome ( a lot like you!) …….and yet a Ball and Chain was locked around his neck - limiting all of his movements and opportunites - because it was known that he had some African Ancestry! That’s a fact! I think you are attempting to appease too many varied people with the responses to race questions. Fact is: We’re All Programmed to be RACIST in some form or another. My absolute preference would be … to be considered a “Human Being - Period! ” because every single time the question of “What Race are You” comes up, whether by the Government, by Schools, or whoever………..it opens up some very old and undying Wounds that are painful to the bone! It sounds as though you are feeling some of that “pain” based upon your new knowledge - and perhaps apologizing to people for it - for their approval and understanding. I encourage you to use your knowledge to look for ways to remove “race” as a classification of any people so that racially we can all be Human Beings. Lastly, what is the purpose of “Racial” classifications? Here’s my opinion: In a country which sells itself on Equality for All…….the ONLY Purpose of Racial Designations….is to Give Out Privileges to Some and to Give Out Disadvantages to Others!

[@jerometurner8759]

Random question: Since you grew up in an Italian household, did you find racism within the Italian American world? So from one Italian to another. Maybe someone saying something along the line of "you're not Italian enough", "you're a fake Italian", or "your family comes from X, mine comes from Y, thus we're better and more Italian than you". Or maybe did someone mention anything because you're half Italian? I'm asking because I've had that experience within my ethnic community. I've never said anything like that to another, but numerous times such things were told to me. Obviously those experiences made me feel sad and less than. With that said, I wanted to see if similar conversations are occurring within other groups. Thanks!

[@nytn]

We 100% are not "Italian enough" culturally. We have the DNA but most Italian-American families would laugh at us I think. I think what you are describing is unfortunately, such a human experience and Im sorry for that.

[@marthamurphy7940]

I would ask Lola if she really loved Mr. Donnelly.

[@sallyintucson]

*AHEM* Saguaros don’t grow in New Mexico, do they? Are some of my family members racist? Absolutely. Are some classist? Yes. 🤦‍♀️ It’s embarrassing! Has that stopped me from learning about black and Native American history because I wanted to learn? Absolutely not! Libraries and bookstores are available to all. People can watch lectures and look for information on the internet. I believe it’s a matter of WANTING to learn.

[@nytn]

No good catch! we went to AZ first. I was editing the video and cut that .

[@sallyintucson]

@@nytn Chuckle

[@nytn]

LOL WHAT? This is so crazy I gotta leave it up

[@nytn]

your user name checks out!:)

[@johnnyearp52]

You can find New Mexico postcards with saguaros on them but saguaros do not grow in New Mexico.

[@tonyedward6909]

What is your comment regarding the statement " History is written by the winners"

[@nytn]

I agree and would add, to any history there are three sides: this group's story/that group's story/ and the truth.

[@lindyashford7744]

Hi Danielle, I wonder if you are aware of the Black Codes, prevalent throughout the US and the debt bondage/peonage remnants that still exist within penal labour structures. I spend some time researching this not just in America but in other colonised parts of the world. There is an extent to which you have to follow the money, or maybe the reluctance to pay for the time of the worker….. the whole thing behind how do we extract free labour from other human beings, and thereby enrich ourselves…. Anyway, black codes were a thing and it is acknowledged that penal labour in the US has links to slavery, and moreover was a motivator in the way things were legislated for. The supply of low or no paid labour for instance. Among the laws were ones that made it illegal for mixed couples, that stretched a long way after abolition. The fear of being prosecuted must have been heavy on people in mixed situations way further than is ever readily acknowledged. Making it not just about skin colour but the fear of actual prosecution.

[@nytn]

Yes! Not deeply, but I have heard of them. I think it is something worth touching out. I always wondered if it had affected Lola or if she was seen as Mexican or White at the time of her marriage. I am still unable to find her marriage license to my Irish great grandpa from 1925. Sometimes wonder if a legal one doesnt exist...

[@leenam.4578]

​​@@nytn, If Lola's family were legally "free people of color" before the Civil War but a black (Post Civil War), it would have been illegal for her to marry a white man in Louisiana. PERIOD. There may very well not be a marriage certificate.

[@johncollins7062]

It was interesting, after admitting you [ did not know how to do Q&A videos ], you passed on a chance to frame personal racism against the true historical perspective. (Which you have done exceptionally well, until now.) Instead you went into gossip questions. Please, do a video the country sorely needs. You already have the opening question. Also, why do all three sixties martyrs get a pass on marital infidelity?

[@lamontpearce170]

Congratulations on home schooling..

[@davidpayne706]

She didn't want to be black that's her story stop making excuses for her

[@kimmy8218]

I am a 67 year old black from baltimore who went to school with many different ethnic groups in East baltimore. Italians and Greeks were not considered white white they were considered others. They are still considered others by many Anglo-Saxon white people. The host looks like a light skin black woman. There are many women who identify as black that look like her. White people created this race and class system that has destroyed people's humanity. No race or group if people is no better than the next. The history books need to be rewritten to tell the truth about human history.

[@polofunk]

EXACTLY 👏🏾 💯 👏🏾

[@N_ReYeS]

She talks in circles alot ... Says absolutely NTN

[@AlwaysLime]

I’m a homeschool mom too😊

[@nytn]

It's amazing and insane.

[@ThatSuzanneSchmid]

Did you also grow up in Albany County? That's where I grew up.

[@nytn]

yes! and went to suny Albany 😄

[@ThatSuzanneSchmid]

​@@nytnI went to Bethlehem schools through sophomore year, but graduated from Albany Academy for Girls. My mom taught for many years at Albany High School, if that's where you went.

[@nytn]

I had friends who went to Bethlehem schools! I got sent to Loudonville Christian School in highschool.

[@djredc]

DEPECHE MODE 🖤🖤🖤

[@nytn]

✊

[@vblake530530]

Try not to feel guilty. You are SO NECESSARY for this world.

[@JustMe-gs9xi]

Hi,,, i like your channel. My people are from Naples,, and i grew up in Boston. I would have to say the question of Racism depends alot on time and place. Growing up in Boston, (i was a small child in the early 60's),, We grew up in an Italian neighborhood, which just seemed normal to me. If people don't know, Boston is a great little city,,, but VERY Segregated. There were The Irish, Italian, Blacks, as the main ethnicities,, Irish and Italian did NOT get along,,,, Blacks couldn't go NEAR Southie or Charlestown. Italians did NOT like blacks,, For the 60's in Boston, i am Not generalizing or exaggerating... The Busing events of the 60's when they bused BLack Students into White Neighborhoods,,,, and White Students into Black Neighborhoods,, was PURE VIOLENCE!,, It was HORRIBLE. SO, my family moved, so we wouldn't get bused to a black neighborhood. I didn't want to move,,, and i had little black friends in school,,, but i could NEVER bring them home. My parents were Truly Wonderful and we had a strong family, But,, Yeah! there was racist talk about blacks,, (i hated it),,, My mother took the subway to her job,, and she would talk about 'Colored' people. little 5 year old me thought,, WoW!! Colored :) I thought i was people that were all different colors,,, LOL,, I had never SEEN one,,, But i imagined them like a person in a Coloring Book that was green and yellow and purple and very colorful. There was always the question 'You wouldn't date a 'darkie',,, RIGHT!>!' Someone on my family had a black boyfriend/husband and had a mixed baby,,,, They were Basically ex-communicated from the family. (Long Comment, i know),,,, I grew up the opposite, Italians and Black people are actually pretty similar. We can be loud, outspoken, funny,,, Loved good food. I had a nice bladk friend,, in 20 something years i Never could bring him to my house,,, I just called him, 'my friend Paul',,,, and i had to change the neighborhood where he lived so they wouldn't know he was black. SO, the truth is there WAS alot of racism in those years. Honestly,, it was partly The Italian Fathers trying to 'protect' their daughters from black men. They didn't like them or trust them. Remember this was the 60's,,,and my parents were born in the 20's. If you look at this generation of Italians, that's totally changed. But the world has changed also. That was 63 yrs ago. But there's still a big segment here that are Very racist. It's just the truth. Like, how many blacks do you see at a Red Sox game??? or a hockey game? I lived in Southern California for 5 years, but that's a HUGE area,, there were mixed neighborhoods. If anyone here is from Boston,,, or knows Boston,, they will know what im talking about. Like i said my generation Mostly gave that stuff up,,, but i have 2 sisters who STILL are racist, against blacks. I broke that curse for my own family. I think Black people and Italians are really similar in keeping close families,, big families if possible,,,, and general Joy of life and traditions. So, im not hiding any of this,,,, i LOVE my Father (he's passed now)... But yes,, black people used to steal cars in our other neighborhood in Boston. It was an epidemic in those days. My father put one of those locks on the steering wheel, but the car was stolen once. And,, being Italian, Dont' Judge or Condemn my family my father,,, or even my sisters (even though i don't talk to them). If your talking truth,,, time and place. Boston was and still is racist. Just 'less than before'. I was supposed to marry an Italian and have kids,,, (girls in my family didn't go to college),,, i did,, but for 2 years,, then i became a medical secretary. This was just a part of The Italian experience growing up here....Can other's my age middle sixties relate?? I know im not the only one.

[@ghostlyimageoffear6210]

Who cares? Everyone has preferences. Racism is not one of the 10 Commandments, but everyone treats the subject like Moses brought it down from the mountain. Now don't make the mistake of supposing I am advocating for unjust or unfair treatment of individuals.

[@earltaylor6071]

To have comprehensive knowledge of Blacks being some of the natives,study Walter E. Plecker who re-labeled dark skin Indians as Black/ Africans/ color because he had a disdain for the dark races of people. This research is not complicated. There were some Sephardic Jews who had dark skin who were labeled as colored; there were also Whites who married Blacks who were labeled Black because they married a Black and had kids out of that union. The majority of Black slaves went to Brazil,Columbia,and other Islands.Good luck!🕍🕌

[@nytn]

Naomi Drake did the same thing in New Orleans!

[@drewncarolina6381]

Just curious but why study Russian? My question has nothing to due with the current state of things.

[@nytn]

I love Dostoevsky and wanted to read The brothers Karamazov in the original language. This was 18 years ago when I was in college though ☺️

[@drewncarolina6381]

@@nytn My wife immigrated with her family from eastern Europe, that's why I was curious. She also gets called Mexican and IMO can blend in with many Hispanics as well as some Aisians. I'm an American and have been working on my ancestry. Part of my family is easy but one of my Grandparents has been a challenge and was probably hidden much of it. They also tend to have a darker completion. So I really enjoy watching your videos and I can relate to them. Thanks!

[@nytn]

What a great story you are unpacking. Really glad to have you here w/ me! @@drewncarolina6381

[@lindyashford7744]

Guilt is entirely the wrong attitude to take or to enforce on others. Responsibility however is a different matter. Not responsibility for what happened in the past, but how we strive to put the effects of past into a better and more egalitarian state so we can move into the future without carrying all the baggage of the terrible mistakes of the past.

[@rachelhill4758]

I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before but… it is perception of others and the perception of ourselves that change constantly. I’ve been watching you since the beginning and my immediate perception of you”the way you look” has changed! The first video- you were a white women. Now- you even look more ethnic. You aren’t doing anything different with your look. It’s most likely my perception of you after your research and videos. Just an observation

[@nytn]

that’s funny! I would say… it is also summer here and my hair relaxer is wearing off 😬

[@TimeTraveller010]

A correction was necessary on the comment below. I digress onto another matter; I am starting to understand one principle as you illustrate according to the 'American image of ethnicity'. Whiteness was, in the past, was a desirable fascination or ideal in American appearances, please correct me on that assertion. In one of my comments I stated I pass as ethnically mixed, in that miscegenation is Roman, anglo-saxon, and celt. >. < On any given day however that image can be interpreted as Italian, Austrian, Jewish or greek. Returning to this debate on whiteness that is prevalent as an ideal image, there is nothing more beautiful or easy on the eye than an olive skinned, hazel eyes or dark hair. Blonde and blue eyes figures well on Europeans, but they too are as ethnically mixed as a high percentage of Americans. Are Australian anglo-saxons attractive people, no.

[@nytn]

She does, not not full. We have a lot of other stuff in there as well :)

[@MoniTrr-c4t]

Well we all know that Lola falana was was half black

[@nytn]

sure was

[@damainesweeney4917]

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory

[@anthonywest7583]

Harriet Turman has living descent.

[@nytn]

Dane Calloway said she is a made up character 😆🙏🏽

[@rasheed7934]

​@@nytnExcept she is not. Anyway who the hell Dane Callaway?

[@nytn]

look him up. He is rewriting history as we speak @@rasheed7934

[@rasheed7934]

@@nytn Just looked at a little about him. That guy ain't nothin but a clown.

[@pipeflush]

Some of mine are racially insensitive ("now a days thats racist") But actual hatred or sense of superiority - no.

[@pipeflush]

@@mikejones-wn1sw double standard aside; they are not racist. And even if they were i wouldnt care its their problem. Its so ridiculous now w all of the accusations mainly by the left of people being racist that it lost its real meaning. In fact it is now a badge of honor.

[@dorianduka]

@@mikejones-wn1sw the "marcuse" followers did reward black folks with millions for failing a test and being not white how many dark folks did come together to oppose it

[@leg414]

I liked your content today. I can say whether are families really "racist" but really more "classist" based, and skin color and language and where they or you come from, and your economic upstanding..Or not...is the demarcation line to which they base and value their opinions on the most. Most being and saying racist and bigoted things are based more on ignorance and repeating learned talking points and input from the core people YOU value in your life, than deeply held core beliefs. Times may change...But right is right and wrong is wrong no matter the era and beliefs. Peace

[@vblake530530]

I’m Black. Calloway is delusional.

[@nytn]

I’m more upset about erasing the history of people who definitely came over on slave ships. I’m always open to questioning history but I can’t make that jump just yet 🙃🤷🏽‍♀️

[@nytn]

@@mikejones-wn1sw Not true. I have indigenous American heritage as well.

[@nytn]

Your dictionary definition does not prove or disprove my genetic heritage.

[@vblake530530]

@@nytn Our American Experience isn’t just about who was here or how we got here, but ONCE each of us were here; how did our various origins contribute to make us ONE PEOPLE. What makes us one people is that above all our triumphs and horrors, WE HAVE BLEAD SPIRITUAL BLOOD TOGETHER. We all share SOUL BLOOD. We’re Spiritual Kin to each other. Whether some us like it or not.

[@jayregal6478]

Lola to me was living her truth! She had a definition applied to her that did not match her self image. She then escaped that false world in search of a place where she could be who she really was, a HUMAN being! Keep in mind, there were a lot of JEWS, ITALIANS, LATINOS, and others in that same part of the world doing exactly what Lola was doing with a GENETIC makeup very similar to hers. Lola was not PASSING, she was being true to herself!

[@doubleutee2100]

To bad you couldn't get to mine. Argh!

[@nytn]

I don’t see it! can you add it under this

[@doubleutee2100]

@@nytn I had to find your community page to re-post it, as it was under my other YT name, but here it is, "Here's a question and I'm sure you must've heard it. I don't care for this happening, but there is an online (unsure about off-line feelings and activity) movement for the separation of MGMs (multigenerationally mixed) and biracials from the overall Black American community similar to the Coloreds of South Africa, how do you feel about that? Of those groups in favor of this, have they even considered the thousands of MGM/biracial/and in some cases light skinned Black/dark skinned couples in love? Everything is for a reason. United we stand, but divided....". That was my question. Moreover, if I took MGMs from the Creole community, and say MGMs from North Carolina & Ohio for example, and caused everyone to live together, while it may have phenotype merit (if that's what's wanted), does it help keep everyone's geo-local cultural values continuous? I don't see this happening anyway, but what are your thoughts on this?

[@nytn]

@@doubleutee2100 this is a great question. Might need its own video!

[@doubleutee2100]

@@nytn I would love to provide you a start off link for this discussion, but if there's anything I've learned, it's that Danielle loves to discover things via her own research. And that's alright. Moreover, what about those darker complexioned less mixed genetic members of such communities/groups whose DNA results would substantiate them as members? For example, if they took DNA tests with Ancestry DNA or MyHeritage DNA the legendary musician "Fats Domino" and Actor "Mr. T." both of whom are part of the Creole community would get Black American genetic communities/groups for Louisiana Creole (or they should). Singer "Amara La Negra's" genetic communities/group would go back to the Dominican Republic, and "Joceline Hernandez's" genetic communities/groups for any DNA test would undoubtedly go back to Puerto Rico. They're all kissin' cousins to these MGM/unambiguous/biracial/lighter complexioned genetic communities, and sometimes they/such phenotypes have to prove (if they feel like it) they are members of such communities (esp. if they only speak bilingual English). O' well. Please consider making such a video, and thanks for the above video and the reply.

[@pattiamoh1136]

Razza im a proud racist to

[@AL-TitoVidal]

More like colorism

[@zoecrowhurst9177]

LOVE freaks and geeks!!!!

[@nytn]

it's the absolute best. My routine is to rewatch it every October.😫

[@tommygamba170]

You are not from New Mexico. People from New Mexico are from New Mexico from before it was the US.

[@Slowbiker1957]

I think you should get over yourself with this obsection of Italians being white or not Who gives a dam Most old Southen Italian worked on the land it was a lot warmer then iSouthern Itallian worked in the sun all day so they became darker in coupler it’s an acumilated sutan

[@nytn]

My mom’s side of the family are Creole(African, French, native, Spanish).

[@antmann71232]

That’s life everyone went through bad things in this country they are cry babies complaining and they have it all and still crying

[@davidpayne706]

You got your white card so are you happy just say it