My Grandmother's Shocking DNA Test Results

#findingyourroots #ancestrydna #nytn #familystory #genealogy #hiddenstories #history
In this video, we're going back to basics, diving into family stories that feel like they're part of everyone's history in some way. I'll share the journey of my grandmother's DNA test and the surprising Louisiana Irish heritage we uncovered. It's like piecing together a puzzle that you didn't even know was missing pieces, finding connections that somehow make you feel more grounded. This story is about more than just where we come from; it's about discovering the shared threads that tie us all together.
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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?

[@nytn]

➡Grab your GEAR nytonashville.com/member PASSWORD: NYTN ▶Sign up for the e-mail list here! nytonashville.com/connect 🟢Send me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13#linkModal 🟢Watch AD FREE on Patreon: www.patreon.com/NYTN ▶ on X, twitter.com/ImFindingLola ▶Download the first section FREE of my "Be a Good ancestor" course here: nytonashville.com/shoplola/be-a-good-ancestor-course-digital-download-videos-bjks6 ▶Get the full course to save your family history here: nytonashville.com/shoplola/be-a-good-ancestor-course-digital-download-videos

[@masterakbarrelyeshuaxxi7452]

0 / 1488.786.666 = 0 🤌🏾 #Jazz #Motown #70sDisco #SlowJams #BobMarley #90sHipHop #WuTang 🐝7 #RockRadio #MetalRadio #BlackMetalRadio #DeathMetal #Nirvana #Metallica 😈6

[@a.somerset7393]

Do you mean “be a good ancestor?” Or “be a good descendant?”

[@nytn]

Ancestor! You will be someone’s future ancestor even if you don’t have kids.

[@axjohn]

You should also apply for Irish citizenship since you have direct proof of descent!

[@bluetinsel7099]

For your grandmas dna when you get to the 20% African with the 10% native, French and Spanish etc. that sounds like the creole portion. So you grandmas dad was full Irish and her mom was creole and many creole people were fathered by French or Spanish men so you may also have the possibility of having Basque ancestors where there is a French and Spanish population just south of France and north of Spain that connect the two. As for the dna with siblings, each of you are pulling from an ancestor gene bank so the males may pull different than the females because of the Y chromosome they share with the other males in the family line. The females would pull more from the females X chromosomes they share with the previous women in their line on both their mom and dads side. The males for their X chromosome would typically pull more from their mom, but their can be some pulling of different genes from the leaves on the branches of family. Then you come out looking more like your more recent ancestors than farther back. So you look mixed, because you are. Creole is a type of mix just as various other ethnicities are as ethnicities are types of mixes. The haplogroups get back to original origins though showing the women as a female that you come from and for males the women and men that they come from.

[@Jetsetwithb]

Genetics are fascinating. It was my favorite class in college. Siblings will never have the same percentage of DNA when families are mixed.

[@julandazachary2776]

Facts 💯

[@vangu2918]

Even identical twin don't even have the exact same DNA results. People need to think logical approach to DNA results.

[@thisrandomlife619]

I love the randomness of it all!

[@Dogs_Only_Association_Football]

All families are mixed, lol

[@masibee]

KZbin recommended a video from this channel last week and have binged it. If you were a Hollywood actress you would have endless job offers. You could play a mixed race, an Italian, a Hispanic, an Arabic woman. Your channel is great in race and ethnicity discussion.

[@claystevenson1821]

Agree

[@natashaa43]

Vin Diesel, did a short called Multiracial about this in particular, I need to try to find it to watch.

[@Fister-kw5un]

Brown privilege

[@iamprolife2010]

​@@natashaa43 I found it. Look up Vin diesel short film muti-facial 1995

[@urbnctrl]

@@Fister-kw5unyamamas privilege

[@mmodl]

I love the idea of raising children to understand just how connected we all are. It’ll make a huge impact on how they view others.

[@CGray-hw7su]

I am a clearly recognizable descendant of the black American slave. In past years in my life I was ashamed of that fact only because of others reaction to me. Unfortunately, so many people have tried to hide their genetic connection to the dark skinned people. It is kind of painful and unsettling that what I clearly am is a source of shame for so many people. I have experienced shunning from people who wouldn’t have anything to do with a black man to hide their own genetic connection to me. As I have grown, I thank God for who HE created me to be. We should not be ashamed of something we had nothing to do with and we are what God planned us to be. I really appreciate you doing these videos. America has to recognize we are all mutts. We are a genetic mix of each other. Laugh, love and enjoy each other…

[@Orpilorp]

In any particular thing just remember that "hurting people hurt people". I am a mix from all over Europe. Fair skinned up in north England, brown skinned down by the Mediterranean, some silky straight hair and some very tight curls. But we're all family. Ultimately we are family all over the world. Our Father God is so good!

[@orange222...]

A lot of white people don't understand how much discrimination there is among the different shades of black people from black people. You are just as beautiful as anyone else. Anyone that thinks anything else is mistaken. When you go to some other places like Puerto Rico they don't care if you are snow white or jet black you are still Puerto Rican. Odd that there are so many words used here for skin color by someones own race..

[@dpeasehead]

@@orange222... I see you chose to leave out a lot of context...The fact is that that behavior only exists in places where race-based chattel slavery, apartheid, and European colonialism held sway and where people were (and often are) rewarded or shunned based upon skin color and a race-based hierarchy. And please miss me with the color-blind Latino mythology, every nation in Latin America which had the race-based chattel slave system is still steeped in the color hierarchy and in nearly all of them, black people are at the bottom economically, politically, and socially. If anything, the racist US has made more progress than most of those places when it comes to the upward mobility of black people.

[@CGray-hw7su]

@@Orpilorp I really appreciate your beliefs and I agree with you. I also believe that those of us who believe that really need to seek each other out and begin to create a community. We need to start having real conversations in a mature and productive way concerning these issues. The only way to create change is to reach beyond our comfort zones.

[@godsfavoritt771]

dude cheer up. the slave story is cap

[@richielaxton9920]

As a person of mixed races and etnicities (Anglo, Mediterranean, Hispanic/Tejano, 15% Cherokee, Apache) myself, I've had to learn over the years to blow off and even lambaste the criticisms of others towards me. I get the "enough" yardstick folks of many races will try to lay on you. I've caught it from blacks, whites and Hispanics over the years. Just know it's THEIR problem and hang-up, not yours. Don't buy in to their own insecurities. A tremendous amount of Americans are of mixed race(s). You're an ALL AMERICAN gal, period. People like you and I are living evidence of the "melting pot" we've all heard about for years. Keep on learning about your amazing ancestry and thanks for sharing, sister.

[@tknows470]

❤

[@visionaerie]

learn about who you are. no matter what ANYONE else has to say about it. good job,keep going.

[@craigdenny2301]

Thanks for sharing this. There is no channel like yours. You are teaching all of us. Don’t stop.

[@masibee]

Yes, I watch a lot of black content creators, and got a video from this channel recommended for me. At first thought it was another antiwoke channel -as so many are popping up recently-. Was suprised at the nuance discussion this lady has which is hard to find on mainstream mead and most KZbinrs.

[@nytn]

This is really really kind, made my day!

[@jaypaladin-havesmartswilll5508]

What makes things very difficult is when your heritage has never been accepted and there had been extreme pain in your family history simply due to how your ancestors looked. You may want to move forward but you find yourself dealing with dishonest people who not only want to deny the history but want to continue the pain in a covert way.

[@CGray-hw7su]

I agree with you 100%. The hiding perpetuates the shame that keeps us from growing beyond our history.

[@Paula-133]

I truly think there should be a way to nominate what you've done for a Docu-Emmy. So many people who identify as white are petrified of having this sort of ancestry come to light. Even though most people of color can just look at them and clearly see the African DNA. You have done a lot of good and I hope this information helps others.

[@hitekdialect]

Hi Danielle - I first wanted to say thank you for being so generous with your family history. Secondly, my condolences on the loss of your grandmother. It's evident how close you were and how much love you shared. I just wanted to comment that as differently as you were raised from Black Americans, you may not THINK you look like us, but there are folks in almost ALL of our families who look a LOT like you - with 2 parents who are Black. We run the gamut. You've probably had QUITE A FEW Black people stare at you trying to figure out if you are one of us.

[@nytn]

Thank you for being here! I have been asked a lot of questions out in the world😅

[@MaryLou913]

Yes the whole thing is two ‘Black’ parents meaning they have African ancestry and have lived in a Black family and community but they can’t look like her without significant nonAfrican genetic markers so those Aunties and Uncles have probably way more Caucasian but we accept them as Black but of course light skin Blacks come from Mulattoes as we actually all do if you look at your ancestry all Blacks in this country have some European DNA if their family has been here long enough and is not a recent immigrant, no matter how dark will still show up with European DNA though most of us have heard about that infamous ‘Native’ ancestor but really they were Mulatto.

[@gilmoremccoy6930]

Your DNA is nothing to be ashamed of. That's your personal recipe. Be proud of it❤

[@tabwin9072]

Personal “Recipe” I like that 😊

[@LostNFoundASMR]

Yes- when we know our roots it’s hard to get caught up in that us vs them. Very well said my dear.

[@nemomarcus5784]

Allow me to give my perspective on identity. I grew up in an area composed primarily of Mediterranean and Slavic descent people along with around 30% Black. I saw myself as "Whitish" but not White-White. In my neighborhood, saying "kako ste" when seeing someone was more common than "how's it going." The food I ate was more ethnic. I knew people who escaped through barbed wire to come to this country. Some families never spoke of ancestors and it was left as an unspoken mystery. It was a different experience than a regular Midwestern isolated White life. So when people ask if I am White, I prefer saying American. I don't hide my Slavic heritage, but I feel more American than anything. I have known blonde-haired blue-eyed Black people who identify as Black because it is important for their identity. It is how you were raised, your neighborhood, your food culture, family history that creates your identity. Please don't worry about if you are enough of anything. Your family and those close to you give you your identity.

[@k-dwanks2481]

American is a nationality and has nothing to do with a person's identity, because it's a migrant society

[@peachbottomblues9944]

Blonde haired blue eyed black people?

[@gazoontight]

I grew up in a similar situation. The WASP demographic considered us to be barely white, if that makes sense. Like we had just crawled across the finish line in some competition. “Kako ste” - a ti si Slovensko ali Hrvatsko?

[@jujutrini8412]

Well said.

[@nemomarcus5784]

@@gazoontight Croatian-American but I did meet a Slovenian girl once in college. She said her parents wouldn't approve of our relationship. I know the history of the Serbian-Croatian issues, but nothing related to Slovenian-Croatian conflicts.

[@innal4363]

My daughters, great grandmother. Her father‘s father‘s mother was half white and half black. She lived her life as white. She passed away back in 2008 or 2009.

[@vblake530530]

Sending you a BIG HUG Teach 🥰. We ALL have our collective “ARMS” around you Right NOW!

[@sisandangwadla4223]

❤❤❤❤👏🏿

[@johndent7091]

Thank you for sharing your heritage with us and the conversations you have on your platform!

[@AaronWilkerson]

What an amazing treasure you have with this video 🥰 I wish I could've gotten my (Sicilian) grandfather on tape or video. There are pretty much no records and his family was very secretive. We can see the emotion when you introduce it.

[@nytn]

I wish you could have, too! I also wish I had done this with my Sicilian grandfather. He passed away when I was 20 and not smart enough back then to realize it.

[@lamontpearce170]

I have the same guilt , for not asking questions to my grandmother . We did ask a lot questions , just not enough. We also have deep LA roots. Our 4th or 5th grandfather, changed his name. He had a hispanic name .

[@PsychicMedium4747]

A few things...when both parents are mixed...the children are inheriting 50% random out of mom and dad's 100% gene pool. So, percentages will vary unless you are identical twins. I have some videos on my page showing black subsaharan phenotypes. Lupita, Grace Jones, Oprah, Whoopi, Alek Wek, Wesley Snipes are black people that resemble our first nonmixed west African Subsaharan ancestors. Your family still have strong european phenotypes. I have a video on my KZbin channel showcasing quadroons with oner mulatto parent and 1 white parent they look 100% anglo. I strongly encourage you to watch it. Its entitled "MIXED race people passing for full white"@@nytn

[@bethel1242]

You have your grandma's beautiful coloring. What's curious is that when we see people with a tan, we tell them they look healthy. Over a billion dollars in tanning products, not including endless tanning salons. What a confusing message.

[@Nonayabizness360]

My grandfather came here from Serbia, he was so ashamed to have anyone know about who he was or hear his accent that he rarely spoke as a child. I even found out that his birth certificate was “ fudged “ to show that he was actually younger than what he was when he died because he didn’t have a real birth certificate when he was snuck into our country by my great grandparents as a baby. That broke my heart, he was terrified his whole life that he would be deported out of our country and every single one of my uncle’s served our country. The amount of prejudice against people who had darker skin or an accent was so ignorant and people forget that it used to be directed towards Italians and Irish too. Now our own government is trying to make us hate each other when all of us are the most diverse people who have the most beautiful, complicated stories and we all deserve respect and love. Thank you for sharing your beautiful grandmothers story. This journey for you is one that all of us should be taking and teaching our own children. Our history’s are not always simple but they are always ours. ❤

[@alessandrom7181]

It was directed even at Balkan people..duh..and still is North Europe.

[@Nonayabizness360]

@@alessandrom7181 Go talk to someone else like that. The area my great grandparents moved to was all Swedish it's still prominently Swedish today and you are just acting like a rude azzhole

[@natashaa43]

Hi Danielle, Ok, so thank you for telling me people were allowed to self identify in NYC, that has made me understand my family much more. So, yesterday I was on 'thrulines' and followed a new line that I hadn't seen before. Only to find that they moved to New York and all identified as white, my lightskinned but definitely not 'white' as most of the USA would categorise them relatives, are white on the US census. Blew my mind. The more I learn about my family, the more I learn about the world....

[@MrSledge-vh7sn]

"Every living being in this world has value, and no one can claim to be the scale that measures it."

[@AnnMar22ie]

I'm still trying to understand DNA. I am 20% Scottish, and 80% African. I was shocked by those results, but more than OK with it. All of my life, I have been asked if I am bi-racial. People are confused when I tell them no. I married a brown-skinned black man. We had a blond-haired blue-eyed child. Neither of us have blue eyes. We both have great great grand parents with blue eyes. My daughter gets asked if she is biracial. We have another daughter who is brown-skinned with dark hair & eyes. People don't believe they have the same parents. Depending on how my youngest wears her hair, it's not out of the realm for her to pass. She hears things most African Americans wouldn't hear. It's exhausting for her because she is not one to stay quiet about it. I love that you are open to finding out who you are and sharing with your kids. A lot of people still wish to bury it. My grandmother had family disappear to Chicago, never to be seen again. My girls are excited to get their DNA tested and see how it all lands. I find your page so inspirational and fascinating. Thank you for sharing your journey.

[@calinola7957]

You get 50 percent of random DNA from each parent and not all of your DNA/Gens shows up in your appearance. I have 2 brown skin Black parents but I have a similar appearance as you. I’m 92 percent West African. Usually when I tell people I’m not biracial their energy shifts, towards the negative. This how I know that biracial people are treated very differently than Black people, regardless of what the black person looks like.

[@gagoomt4076]

@@calinola7957thank you for telling the truth I’ve always known that in the world around us Wyt people will celebrate blq people for looking less blq. ie. Gushing about Ethiopia versus other African countries

[@deewilson3239]

Almost all Black people have European, Indgiounus or Asian blood it is what it is

[@AnnMar22ie]

@@deewilson3239 Oh I know. I just find it interesting how it can land.

[@AnnMar22ie]

@@calinola7957 Interesting about the energy shifting. Bi-racial people are drawn to me. When I tell them I am not bi-racial they seem disappointed and no longer have an interest in getting to know me. Very sad.

[@freedomspromise8519]

I was so disappointed when I only had a fraction of African DNA. Red/blonde hair, freckles and blue eyes. Wishful thinking, I know. I was overjoyed when I saw that Kenyan DNA. It is so exciting to wonder about how it got there. I am basically about 90% Northern European with some Chinese Dai, Greek, Italian, Kenyan, Slav and Central/South American tossed in for good measure. We owe all our ancestors a heap of gratitude.

[@atarahashirazi1941]

Be careful about DNA tests if you have a reason to suspect your ancestor was African American or West African. Many of these DNA researchers have shotty African collections. Sometimes, when Nilotic or "Kenyan" shows up, it from Balanta people in West Africa especially in Americans. They migrated to West Africa from the Nile Valley, but its strong DNA in trace ancestry. On a couple of different tests my uncles had trace ancestry from Egypt/Sudan and Kenya but we are definitely more West African.It's not that it is wrong to say "Kenya", but its less the country of Kenya, and more a connection to Nilotic people that live up and down the Nile Valley.

[@freedomspromise8519]

@@atarahashirazi1941 Interesting. I was not aware of any of this. I will check it out. Honestly, I was excited with ANY African DNA.

[@user-du6xz3dc3y]

Most black people can tell if a person has our DNA. No matter what skin tone or colour hair or eyes you have. We have the genetic trained eye even if we don't mention it as we don't want to upset the person. Black people have the Royal bloodline.

[@yolandechristian9584]

Very interesting background

[@alessandrom7181]

🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@Pillowhead1983]

So good. So happy there is someone who agrees. All that you said towards the end is exactly how I have been feeling. Love your videos.

[@nytn]

It’s so good to find likeminded people! Makes me so happy

[@KAH-7]

One thing that I like about your presentations is that I can't tell if you're laughing, or want to cry? Reminds me of when I was a youngin' and made to do Acting summer camp. 😁

[@nytn]

I always get emotional seeing my grammy on film. A little happy a little sad.

[@user-hc7ry8qp9o]

We have a family tree traced back over 400 yrs to Luxembourg. Very proud of the culture we've built. Everyone should strive to have a legacy to be proud of.

[@nytn]

this is an incredible thing! What are you doing for making sure the next generation of people can keep the records/info? that is always what stresses me out the most

[@mervcharles8365]

I think it’s awesome you’re discovering all of your heritage. It’s so difficult what our black ancestors had to go through. They were so afraid to be black that they hid valuable parts of their heritage that could make us (their descendants) better people. I can’t even imagine the struggle they went thru to hide their heritage.

[@TheBushLeague]

Your grandmother looks like mine. My grandmother's parents were both black but one of her grandmother's was biracial. My grandmother's siblings ranged from light brown to dark skinned and they had the same parents yet one brown skinned sister had a son with blond hair and blue eyes. He now has a son with the same features. DNA is such an interesting subject and how the mixtures pass down specifically in families such as yours and mine is fascinating. My grandmother could have passed but fiercely chose not to although she was well aware of the opportunities that were presented to her when she moved North were because of how she presented outwardly. The choices so many families had to make when being racially ambiguous had to be very difficult. As I've been on my ancestry journey I've watched census records of extended DNA cousins go from black to mulatto to white over the span of a generation and I have wondered how shocking that had to be to those who over the last few generations have responded when they've looked at their results. What you are doing with transparency and dignity has been heart warming to witness. I firmly believe that as we say the names of the ancestors, they are no longer forgotten to history. Finding your ancestors and naming them again makes is so that their living was not in vain.

[@EverydayImVegginIt]

Wow this video is extra emotional... I feel like I can relate and I see ur emotion... Thank You for sharing the video of ur grandmother... It's so beautiful and I see you miss her.. Ur channel is beautiful and so personal... Thanks for bringing us along on ur journey...

[@elenik2764]

Interesting video. I am one of those people that would be considered "other" when I was growing up. Mother spoke with a heavy accent all of her life. My dad was bilingual. I remember teachers purposely giving me a anglo surname because they couldn't pronounce my last name. Kids would ask me where I came from and if I was "Spanish". They definitely didn't think I was one of them. My dad's story is much harsher. There is more that happened. I just know even as an adult that people think I am either Asian, native American, or Hispanic. I am none of those things, I am Greek (my mom was from Turkey) and I grew up in the 1960s and 70s. To this day I always check other.

[@jujutrini8412]

I grew up in UK. I had a Greek Cypriot “auntie” and I remember plainly that they were not seen as “white” back in the day. I also had a best friend whose mother was from Malta - she wasn’t seen as “white” either. I remember being out with them and she was racially abused. It’s weird how these things are and how it all depends on the time and place. To this day I miss my auntie and uncle from Cyprus who overfed me every time I went to her house with all manner of delicious Greek food! Now I have Turkish neighbour who does the same thing😂😂😂

[@p.thompson5474]

Incredible work. BTW A friend of a friend just bought a house in Sardinia for $16000 U.S. -yes, getting her Italian citizenship due to a grandmother. Her family pitched in to help her buy it. This has been her dream ever since she visited Italy years ago. ***Looking forward to hearing about your Irish heritage.

[@nytn]

Ahhhh that is the dream!! Sardinia is so pretty I have a dream to go there

[@michaelrochester48]

I have loved all of your videos. One I learned so much about the past and the presence. To it makes me even more determined to trace my ancestry and learn as much as I can about the stories of my family.❤l

[@Spirit-Truth66]

Thank you so much for Sharing this Very Pesonal Story! What I heard you say, with the Blending of so Many Different people, means that you are a True American and a Real Blessing!!

[@AlbertManiscalco]

Your channel is doing a lot of great work. I learned a lot from your self exploration and your sharing of it with the rest of us.

[@nytn]

Awesome, thank you for being here :)

[@TdT2211]

Thank you for sharing your family's love story. ❤❤ You are as brave as the love that brought you forward and a testament of what love can do. Your story is beautiful and I look forward to watching your family's love story grow. ❤❤❤❤♾ Have a great week Danielle.

[@JJ-ui4ph]

I’m glad you were able to find out some of the history about your family. Every little bit teaches you more about yourself. :)

[@nytn]

So true!

[@amb7412]

This is such a beautiful journey! I love all that you have shared with us. I love the candord, in which your relatives speak about their heritage. Than you.

[@bethel1242]

Excellent mssg on the clothing!🙏🏽👍🏼

[@wendellbatts2477]

Thanks for sharing, again Danielle.

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

Loved the memories of your grandmother and Lola’s story. Thank you for continuing to “peel away the layers”. 😉♥️

[@joecutro7318]

Hey Danielle, beyond the percentages and the DNA conversatios, that was some precious footage from your "granny granny". So good to hear her and see her again. I believe there is a part of her living on in you for which you can be very proud. ❤ I agree that making sure your kids know there heritage makes them so much more well-equipped to be part of a world that lets go of pointless othering. Keep the Faith. Thanks for all your work.😊🤗

[@Danny-fs1hk]

Thank you so much for sharing!!!

[@nicoperrin1060]

Wow this is heavy and deep right here. I like it what you doing, bringing things to light with the absolute truth

[@FCntertainr]

I gotta get one of them hoodies! I am committed to rehabilitation of a historic Black Lincoln Cemetery in my hometown of Harrisburg Pa. Finding Lola has taught me so much about genealogy even though I knew a lot about NOLA creoles from studying Jazz. Melungeons are interesting and I have DNA matches of last names from the South that suggest Melungeon. Your grandma mentioned black or creole like she sorta knew!

[@ohms497]

Thanks!

[@nytn]

Thank you so much! So generous

[@michaelpierce3264]

always a pleasure to hear from you D

[@dreamweaver662]

I love your channel!! Thank You so much for what you are doing….❤️❤️

[@lscott736]

Love this hoodie. Will purchase! Hey cousin 🫶🏽

[@nytn]

Hey girl ♥️

[@gazoontight]

Another excellent video. You are doing important work. The concept of not being “enough” is common, in my experience. My ancestry is Central and Eastern European; 1/2 one thing and 1/4 two others. Nearly 40 years ago I was discussing this with someone who told me that I couldn’t claim the two 1/4 ancestries because, and I quote, “It’s half or nothing.” Then there’s my wife who is Western European and Middle Eastern by way of South America. So what do our children get to claim? They had some interesting experiences in school. They were “too white” to participate in Hispanic heritage week, but they were “not really white” because of their mother’s ancestry. Their own feelings about it is that they are who they are and nobody’s going to tell them differently.

[@phillipmacintosh4094]

I’m grateful I found your channel, this has been something I’ve wanted to touch on myself for various reasons. One of which is my own ancestry were and knowing the things I learned and helping to educate the populace in a small way that can help bring down some of the hateful rhetoric and temperaments. We are more than meets the eye as they say in transformers.

[@anitracottman7506]

You and your grandma are twinning

[@iworkharvey4103]

Another great video. Thanks for sharing your story

[@jimmierachal741]

I find that the best part about the information that I find interesting is that I can’t get enough. Thanks for sharing and enlightening. Keep up the good work I’ll be watching 🙏🏽

[@nytn]

You and me feel the same way!

[@timeforchange3786]

Great video. I would love to see more of the video of your Granmy speaking about her life and heritage.

[@rodneyoneal8428]

Thank you for everything you are doing for everyone young lady you be bless and stay safe. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰😘😘😘😘😘😘😘😘

[@paulasuniverse5029]

Great channel. Your transparency is wonderful. Your channel is an important contribution to the puzzle pieces of U.S history. I have explored Melungeon history and spoken to a Melungeon author. I wrote an annotated bibliography for college on “Tri-racial Isolates.” (I was told that I was Melungeon by a Black man years ago so my curiosity was peaked.) Perhaps I can interview you for either a podcast or magazine article.

[@Nutinwrkz]

This. Content. Is. Amazing.

[@stephanienwadieiiamhybasia]

Nice as always.. You are a good Ancestor.

[@tiffanycotter9675]

I love the fact that you embrace all of your ancestry and are willing to share with others. I hope more non blacks do the same.

[@andreadaley4058]

So delighted to stumble upon your channel. We talk about this a lot in our house. Im mainly Irish but my kids are the most mixed having origins from over 99 different areas via Capetown (Many kinds of African, Asian, South Pacific Islander etc) My first reaction actually was you look a bit like one of my daughters!

[@sd247]

Welcome back.

[@nytn]

thank you! I already miss that sunshine💔

[@mariashawver8843]

Always interesting content, Thanks for sharing 👍

[@lulumoon6942]

This was moving, and as always your tact facilitates learning! & Great App suggestion! 👍

[@lasvegas4164]

A beautiful story. Thanks for sharing.

[@llowwdowwnnwilliams6964]

The crazy part is that the Colonization Act of 1847 sent Free Coloreds to West Africa,The Negroe removal Act was an extention of the trail of tears.When I looked up the Declaration of Liberia they state that they are original inhabitants of America, and they have the colonies of Louisiana, Virginia, Mississippi Pennsylvania and Florida right there in West Africa

[@ralphperez7475]

Great story! Loved your presentation, look forward to more content.

[@justkitkat]

Such a beautiful and touching video from your grandmother that you'll always have. But it is sad that racism has made people ashamed and, or afraid to speak on their heritage and family. Every person should feel proud of their ancestral background, because all of those many people is what added up to make them the special individual that they are.

[@catmejia6109]

Another great video and very well said ❤❤❤this is off subject but on subject if that makes sense….amongst friends we were discussing Beyoncé, her mom in the past (80s 90s) always claimed creole and wouldn’t necessarily say she was black…Beyoncé’s mother’s heritage is mixed yet she’s considered black with no doubt or question…….what you said resonated with me because as a Mexican Black darker skinned woman my blackness (my whole life) is always in question usually by other blacks..I have always embraced both cultures unapologetically…yet Beyoncé who looks more mixed than I , and definitely is mixed as well..and who is definitely whiter lighter lol is considered black -black with no uncertainty lol go figure 😂😂😂😂

[@chrissyf1295]

I love your informative videos. I have missed a few lately but will be going back to watch them now.

[@Searchforuhuru]

As someone who has citizenship in 3 countries, I would highly recommend that you get your Italian Citizenship.

[@mind_of_a_darkhorse]

Truly fascinating! My sister got her tests done years ago and what she found out there is some mystery about my father's side of the family. He claimed his mother was 50% Native American, but my sister's test did not show this. I checked and found that the DNA does not always show all that came before. In most cases, you get half of your DNA from your father and mother. Some cases are exceptions to the rule, like when one mother apparently had a twin while in the womb, but they merged and she actually got her eggs from her "sister" so tests showed she was not the mother but she was a relative, even though she was the mother! I found out that some of your ancestry may not show up due to the half rule for genetic structure.

[@lazarushernandez5827]

Sometimes it is worth it to revisit those DNA sights, as more people take those test, the results can be updated and refined.

[@mind_of_a_darkhorse]

@@lazarushernandez5827 I was thinking of having mine done.

[@drummerboykwan1]

This is so beautiful

[@gbsgarage]

I’m finding your channel very interesting. Thank you.

[@christopherhanson9578]

I doubt Lola's grandfather was 80 percent west African if he was also creole. Probably both her parents were around 50/50 as is the case with most creole people.

[@terrancewatson7915]

Creole is a culture sir, not a race, creole of color had varying degrees of African. Thank you.

[@nytn]

Thats possible! Lola's mother's side seem to be the spanish/indigenous heritage based on the paper trail I have and my maternal haplogroup. Her family was from Nacogdoches primarily. If I double the West African, that would bring me her father's side with the French (20%) to 100? The paternal line is where my enslaved african ancestry comes from. But it's all a guess!

[@user-jf9zz2jl5q]

​@@nytnlove your responses and how you NEVER argue. 🎉 Keep up the good work!👍🏾

[@dpeasehead]

@@terrancewatson7915 Creole originally meant a European born in the Caribbean. Later it meant a person of mixed race. That mix could be any combination of races, but the racist consensus placed them above (allegedly) pure black people and Indians and below white people in the pecking order. Of course, Creoles could be any shade, but that culture and identity is still closely tied to the racial hierarchies of Latin America and the Caribbean and American jim crow. So although Creoles have often been treated badly by white people, they and their culture has been seen as insular and as being complicit in normalizing white supremacy and the color hierarchy by many black people.

[@RememberKatrina2005]

Another great report. Thanks for sharing.

[@MJ-hg1mk]

Siblings, especially 100+ years ago, are often not "fully" matched. Men often went away for work for extended periods of time... It happened a lot! Y'all know the rest.

[@keisha4620]

Thanks for sharing 💞

[@sharronewilson4761]

Your great grandmother look like some of my family members and they have some Irish and mostly w Africa, I have two uncle who’s a year apart sane farther same mother but look totally different.

[@cohariebenjaminbrown7900]

i feel you maybe after our generation it will all be back to normal we need more of us who see it like that good work keep it up love ya

[@chrisventura1881]

This my fave channel on heritage and culture. Salute from NY.🇮🇹🙌🏽🇺🇸

[@nytn]

From a fellow NYer- thank you! So glad to have ya

[@chrisventura1881]

@@nytn you ever have one of those live seminars via the link n you sign on with like FaceTime?

[@nytn]

I have thought about it but Im so nervous no one would show up 😆

[@chrisventura1881]

@nytn I would. Plenty of others would too. You have so many views and followers.

[@valeriegoode9762]

So interesting. Thanks for sharing.

[@naughtyskyline]

siblings have different results , because every time parents create children they each shuffle their 100 cards and their child gets 50 cards from mum and 50 cards from dad, to make up their 100 cards,,, so for example i might have 7% of something, but my father could have 25% of that, and his father could have had 70% of that, its just the way the cards are shuffled for each child, it doesnt change the ancestry, it just means that one sibling could get 50% irish and another only 30% , it doesnt change the fact that they have the same irish grandparent

[@kl.9649]

I'm Italian and I absolutely love Black men.

[@l0st0ne]

me too

[@Capeesh_]

Shame on you

[@gagoomt4076]

@@Capeesh_😂😂😂😂 salty

[@tasosvogiatzis3214]

you are woman or man?

[@user-vk7zr7nt6c]

Why is it so painful for you describing your African ancestors. To be connected to the first people of the earth should be a great honor . It seems offensive to me in your painful description.

[@babyboy562]

Truth hurts fixed Mulattos and Mestizos……we birth them all 🤷🏾‍♂️

[@thedude9941]

All people are connected to Africans though, humans began in the Horn of Africa and migrated from there.

[@mlmichael2791]

Watch her series. Finding Lola where she explores her entire black ancestry. I think she appeared awkward because she did this video because some people didn't think she looked black enough. However, if you see her curly hair, nose and skin coloring together you can tell she is black. Meghan Markle's mother is black . However, she rarely wears her naturally curly hair so it's hard to tell unless you see how the some tans her skin in the summer.

[@kimjones8824]

You Grandmother looks exactly like my Aunt Juanita, Native American Cherokee on Mom's side.

[@theredroadeast723]

I seriously love your channel. Your stories are very interesting. You have a very ethnically diverse phenotype. When I first started watching you, I definitely did not feel that you were white. I was thinking either mulatto or very light-skinned "African-American." You should consider writing a book about your genetic genealogical journey. Your ancestry has many stories to tell. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to more content!

[@nytn]

That’s so interesting, sometimes I get yelled at in the comments for being a white Karen. So funny when it’s the other side of the coin. 😀

[@theredroadeast723]

@@nytnYeah. Don't let them discourage you. You can do everything correctly, to the letter, however, there will always be some fool who will criticize you. But the right people appreciate your work!

[@lexietobias195]

I'm a Blk m, my mom's side of the family is from Bastrop, Louisiana

[@lexietobias195]

Dyer/Brown or Grants

[@TheTrueOnyxRose]

Considering I’m similar to you but probably much older, I find this an interesting journey I just got in on rather late…even though I’ve had you subbed for a minute.

[@nytn]

Never too late to start! I’ve been working on this for 22 years and still barely scratching the surface somehow

[@SpanishEclectic]

Being American is the starting point. Tracing back the individual lineages gives each person their own story, but none is better than that of another person. Some families have lost their stories due to war, political unrest, personal tragedies, and in some cases, as others have said, shame about their origins. My Norwegian great-grandmother attended school in America one day, left, and never went back. She was ridiculed by the other children because she couldn't speak English (approx. 1870). She was twelve years old. She went on to marry a man who was a teacher, a postmaster, and a local official. Two of their daughters became teachers and a third worked as an evidence clerk for the LAPD up through the 1970s. I heard these stories from my grandmother as a child, and just recently inherited a trove of photos, documents, and notes that have allowed me to pass on the info to my Gen X cousins. They were thrilled. Thank you, Danielle, for presenting these topics in a 'safe space' and providing a forum for people to share their stories.

[@sissybushnell7959]

I find this very interesting because my 2nd great grandfather was born in Bastrop in the late 1800

[@Jellybean_j99]

I agree! We can’t assume what someone is by looking at them. We should be able to identify with all of our roots.

[@marcof.8715]

I'm half Sierra Leonean and Half Italian. My father is half Sardinian (mom) and half Emiglia Romagna (Dad) that's North of Italy. So I'm mulatto, with a very pointy Italian nose but black curly hair, usually a mini afro. I'm small built man, very similar to what you would see in Sardinia. Typical southern Italian body size. It's so crazy . And now my kids are half of me and half Danish (mom) their mom is half Danish and half Checosloavakian (her mom, granny of the kids) So my kids are partially Eastern European, Italian, West African and Scandinavian. This is rabbit hole.lol😂😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤

[@TrueWalker88]

It's so heartbreaking that anyone had to hide who they were - their race, sexual orientation or religion, instead of just being loved by the world and allowed to be who they are. Even within a race, it's crazy. I think my Polish ancestors had to sometimes pretend they were German. My British ancestors expressed disdain for the Irish, but there's plenty of Irish in my DNA and my grandmother and aunt were full redheads, perhaps she hid who she was, being semi-literate and marrying an English boy. I have found ancestors who were HSP - Highly Sensitive like me and wonder how hard it was for someone like them to be drafted for a war, or expected to be like others. Some of them managed to find a quiet life somewhere and live under the radar. So many people have had to live outside the narrow construct of the world. I love seeing your research and hearing your story, thank you for sharing it. I'm really enjoying my genealogy journey too. I decided long ago that certain things will end with me and doing this work makes sure I am healing, forward and backward in time.

[@RamonaWilliams-jt2ul]

I love that hoodie name 😅

[@agrotta1650]

Amen!! There is no "enough".

[@RichardJuukovsky]

Great stuff. Peace and love

[@tracydukeplump]

Excellent video

[@alex-jq4gu]

Aww, its ok, and are beautiful with all of who you are...its a beautiful journey...you are not alone...and it is ok to be who you are...multiculturalism is beautiful ❤

[@celeste5607]

This is very interesting and there are many people in the USA that have no idea who their ancestors are. It goes both ways. I always say everyone need to get their DNA done because it is such and eye opening thing and it really gives you a real real understanding of who you are. It will also let you see how silly people are when they have this us against them mentality. Thanks for sharing.

[@TheeTwanSolo]

DNA results are wild. Im a black man, light skinned, from Kentucky. My maternal great grandfather, William, was born in 1910 & he was dark with his shirt on from all of the years he did farming, but when he took his shirt off, he was as near white. When he was a child, he looked like he was indigenous American in black & white photos with straight black hair. My mom was brown skinned with straight black hair. She looked very much like the singer Chaka Khan. My dad, his parents & his 9 brothers were/are all very light skinned, sandy but corse blonde hair with green eyes. My siblings, half & full, are a variety of more colors than a pack of Skittles. After all that, im mostly of African decent, Nigerian to be exact with 25% European (mostly Scottish). My wife is 99% European, but our son, William, looks EXACTLY like my maternal great grandfather except he has curly sandy blonde hair & green eyes. My family has so much variety with mostly African ancestry, but we have dna from places like the Philippines & Japan. I have no clue how or no records as of yet explaining how they got in the mix. Im still digging through the archives to learn all that I can.