Finding our roots: DNA Family Secrets

[@paulacribb56]

So much of what Casey said resonated with me. My cousins and I were always told we were Spanish. I took a DNA test and guess what? NO Spanish. We were told what our parents and thier parents were told. Now I know the truth. I self identify as white but I am a mixture of so many other cultures and I am proud of every one of them

[@nytn]

You are a beautiful mixture, Paula and you are doing an amazing job for your family, incredible work for now and then

[@paulacribb56]

@@nytn thank you! I hope one day my children and grandchildren will take notice

[@loveblue2422]

You are related to the indigenous people of Mexico That's why your DNA didn't match but some of the people in Mexico because Mexico is a mixture of different races

[@aliciamaria2730]

Why do you think whites think the Spanish and Italians is exotic Because of the heavy African blood.

[@xocolatl3682]

DNA cannot trace you to a nationality. Only current living people.

[@letty5515]

It's amazing that people can pass for white when I can look at them and see something else. Just an observation. Keep searching and good for You and your family.

[@nytn]

I know, I think the family stories can really blind you to what every one else sees...

[@williebrinson4699]

It's more like they marry white and bare white children for the purpose of replenishing the white race. We know and see the African, they do as well.

[@jackiearcher7738]

I know, I can see it in them, I see the African side, I guess it's because in our community we see mixture all the time, so it's easier for us to recognize it

[@ladywithclasscarpenter1143]

@@jackiearcher7738 you’re correct 💯

[@shawnahall7246]

It’s the whole categorization system to make it easier and eugenics propaganda to brainwash everyone into one or other (black or white)

[@iancaldeian]

I love the honesty about the confusion and ignorance as well as acceptance.

[@bandxdwayne]

I’m really digging this series. With your grace I would like to add another prospective to the mix. I’m kinda in a fortunate position to explain some of this stuff by being in sort of a sweet spot age wise. I was born in 1964 making me the last of the baby boomers. 60s babies are fortunate to experience a social growth spurt in America. We got to experience The Beatles,Vietnam,Watergate,Disco,Punk Rock,New Wave,80s movies and music, the Regan era,Grunge,Boy Bands,Barak Obama, till now. Y’all asking these questions and finding your answers are possible because we live in a digital age. With all that said, now to my point. Louisiana is kind of a different place than the rest of the South. I live in Georgia and come from mixed ancestry also. My paternal grandmother had siblings who could pass but chose not. But her brothers moved north because it was literally life threatening for men who could stratal the color line. Mulatto men were a “white mans threat” and the women were “white Mens fantasies”. My grandmother told me that her father would not allow her or her sisters to work as domestics despite being hounded by white men offering them jobs. My maternal grandmother was fathered by the owner of the land her parents sharecropped and they had other children to raise so her husband could do nothing about it or he could be lynched. This is the elephant in the living room of this country. It wasn’t just slavery. These things were happening since the beginning of this country’s history. But white Americans refuse to accept that fact because they take it as an indictment of themselves personally but it’s Not. But DNA don’t lie. Racial Integrity laws were passed to insure that people like us could not lay complete claim to the American Dream unless we were “Racially Pure”. We are literally first/second cousins in this country but some of the worst fighting goes on between family.WWI was nothing but a big ole family feud. YALL are putting out to the world to see so people who don’t like it can’t change it. YALL were raised white so you are white. That’s your experience but like sista girl said she put her complete all on blast and she Proud of it. I’m a black man but my DNA looks like a Jackson Pollock painting.Lol. We accepted this fact since 1619. We past it. These are mainly white people’s’ problems.😅 Just my humble opinion.

[@nytn]

It's really helpful to hear this experience and perspective, thank you so much for taking the time to share this. "This is the elephant in the living room of this country. It wasn’t just slavery. " yes to this. Of course, yes I found out so much about our enslaved ancestors, but it is so much more than that and so much beyond that. It's complicated, and important to keep talking about it

[@bandxdwayne]

@@nytn And You Keep On Talking Bout It. To be honest this subject has to be introduced by the children and grandchildren of the people who crossed the color lines. Because you are the ones to show these people that the world didn’t come to an end and that they were not replaced. That that “one drop” b.s. ain’t stopped a dang thang. That black folks have always had condos living up in white DNA for centuries and they never even knew it. But we did. Everybody didn’t have no Cherokee great great grandma.

[@williebrinson4699]

I appreciate you sharing, I was born in 1964 also. I don't get how people can be proud of what white people have done to the indigenous, the land, africans and even their own women and children. They are some bad evil people in my opinion, I realize all of them aren't like that but if they didn't fight against it, and very few did, hell there just as bad in my opinion.

[@cynthiapickett8577]

🎯💯👍

[@regina7795]

I relate….all my damn life ppl ask what I am. Red hair freckles and damn near white. I hated the way I looked. All I knew and related to was black. Next question was which of my parents are white…..neither. The truth is that mixture probably came in through all sides but I never saw any white ppl in my family. Yes we’re almost all very light. I remember in the second grade I wanted an Afro.. my mom curled and pinned this long kinda straight stuff into a Afro and I loved it till it was time to comb it. I have to remember that while I love and feel black black black ppl see me differently. So now in my 50’s my daughter did out dna and it shows 50% you know what. I hate it cause there’s absolutely no connection….it feels empty. I’m a black woman period. If white ppl faced reality they would not hate and mistreat others cause we’re all related….across the globe. My dna chart crosses the entire globe.

[@karenchambers5850]

I so look forward to your videos. What a beautiful journey. These are exactly the types of nuanced conversations that need to be happening more and more so that we can break down the ignorance about race in this society. It’s time for ethnic and cultural diversity to be respected and not seen through the cruel lens of racist hierarchy. How fortunate your kids will be because you are taking their diverse history out of the shadows. ❤️

[@nytn]

Karen, this is exactly my heart behind this journey. It's for my kids. Being responsible for the next generation is not something I take lightly. Theyre little still, but they know more about our family history than the last three generations put together. Thank you for this beautiful comment!

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

I had to listen to this twice, because Casey mentioned the great great grandfather from CHINA @13:45 and that really added another layer to the whole story. I wonder how her DNA test would look side-by-side with yours, Danielle. I like the format of these conversations with family/friends; it really makes these difficult subjects a little more manageable. When the shocking revelations come out it's not so shocking. Casey's statement about this area of Louisiana representing a microcosm of what America will be by 2050 is so true. Thank you for taking us along as you continue "peel away the layers" that make up your family history. ❤

[@nytn]

yes, CHINESE! It's a crazy story how those Chinese guys showed up in Louisiana.I hope to do a video on that side later....and I thank you so much for your thoughts on this format. It feels so natural to sit down and talk over a coffee...I think we all want a little bit of some scaled back openness, at least I do. I am so glad it resonated with you

[@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts]

Danielle, there are so many questions. If you think that Casey's daughter looks so much like your daughter then how much of that Chinese heritage is in your DNA and...too many questions. I may have to watch this video again. ❤

[@nytn]

@@JustFluffyQuiltingYarnCrafts I dont have ANY chinese, it's a line that married into my family! At least I dont think I do. I had some trace asian show up on a test once and then it went away.....😂

[@axjohn]

@@nytn here’s a recent video I think you may find interesting! kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHrOd52NndWKabs

[@clementmckenzie7041]

@@nytn You know this is the issue with America refusing to teach black history. The building of the transcontinental railroad brought thousands of Chinese men to the united states. In fact, they were the majority of railroad workers. White women were strictly off-limits. Being caught with even a white prostitute would get you hung. These men left a lot of their DNA in, black. Native American, and Mestizo communities as the railroads passed through. There were parts of the country where the Chinese laborers were chained up to keep them from escaping to live with Native tribes, Mestizo communities, or all-black towns that dotted the landscape between Texas and Louisiana. There were Freetowns ( all black townships) that were completely destroyed by the railroad companies seeking to recapture their Chinese workers.

[@nytn]

⚪ Help me edit videos: buy me a coffee!: ko-fi.com/nytn13 Want to support more storytelling and get behind the scenes videos? www.patreon.com/NYTN/about Grab your own Ancestry DNA test now*! : amzn.to/3UxGKJx Connect with me on FB! facebook.com/findinglolafilm/ Watch the series that started it all: "Finding Lola" : kzbin.info/aero/PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2

[@10144viewer]

These conversations and your sharing them is an incredible gift to all of us -- so much emotion, yes

[@nytn]

Thank you so much, it is so very much for my heart and Im glad it is reaching others as well

[@kcidguzman]

Whewwww. When you said i don’t know if i can ever have that feeling (of being fully a part of my culture) that was as painful as it was validating. I am Mexican (Chicano LA) and Jewish from Ct but I am the only person on either side of my family that grew up 100% in Brooklyn New York and I always long for the more direct exposure to my cultures and I feel I have just had to bring it in to my own my life and be proud of my ancestors and how they made a way for me and as she said, I think I can provide that sense of belonging for my children. I also feel when I go home to Mexico even as a person with light skin and an American acccent I feel people treat me as though I have finally come home and I wish that feeling for any other people in this comment section who may feel estranged from their own blood.

[@ayykayy_]

I've been following your journey since you started. I'm so happy you're slowly adding more pieces to your family's history. I know there's an emphasis on not truly understanding or sharing the same struggles/ experience as your ancestors and almost feeling less authentic to your heritage/ethnicities; but I think the importance is to have empathy for your ancestors lived experiences and through that you will have an appreciation of how far your family has come & where you are today. My auntie always told me "to have a relationship with your ancestors is to know their stories, have empathy for their struggles and celebrate their cultures". I am 1st generation Canadian, my mom's family is indigenous Filipino + indigenous Hawaiian + Japanese; and on my father's side it's Japanese + Brazilian. However, both sides are so far removed from our Japanese heritage because of WW2 where they had to change their names/ take up a whole new identity in order to not be persecuted and put into camps, we know very little of their stories. Also my indigenous side still experiences racism from non native Filipinos; and much of their history isn't recorded either. All while my Polynesian ancestors left Hawaii prior to the USA stealing the islands from the Hawaiian monarchy and changed their identities due to forced assimilation to Christianity in Philippines in order to survive, before taking refuge amongst the native filipino tribes in the mountains who were quite unreachable to colonizers. I've always felt like I had no claim to any of my cultures being born and raised in Canada, have even been told I'm not Filipino, Polynesian enough to partake in our cultural dances; but my aunt told me otherwise. She also told me "it doesn't matter how far your Filipino and Hawaiian side is from. So long as you share the same blood, their "mana" (life force/spirit/strength) of your ancestors will live through you and guide you. The ocean connects to and has given life to many different islands/lands, it doesn't matter how far an island is; the ocean will always connect us. We will always be family." Thank you for sharing this journey with us, it makes me really want to search harder & dig deeper for my ancestors even further back. It would take a miracle but I'm hopeful of finding even one piece of information.

[@nytn]

Kate, I read this comment like 5 times probably. Thank you for taking the time to write it out. There are so many similar stories where later generations like ours are trying to make sense of where we take the family now. I love what your auntie told you, that's the kind of thing we need to be told growing up....it doesnt matter how far away an island is, the ocean will always connect us. That is so beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing and being on this journey with me

[@thehallucinationsgame]

Biggest hugs to you both, my friend Wiingush-kwe had many family members have had similar upbringing to yours, and she has said that the 'feeling' comes through the stories, memories, and present to future you build with these new pieces of your history. I pray that all the goodness in our world, and hearts to you both, and to all enduring this journey; it may be heavy, but together there is no weight we cannot carry 💞

[@junelejoi4916]

There is a saying that states “you die twice in this world. 1. When your embodiment dies (your physical death) and 2. when your name is forgotten.” So Danielle, you doing this research and uncovering of your lineage and history is revitalizing and honoring their lives. As well as giving those living a sense of pride and connection that was once lost. Your ancestors are definitely using you to be heard, to be felt and to be seen and not forgotten. You are the one who has been chosen to break those generational curses/traumas. I commend your tenacity for taking on such a challenge. Cuz lord knows it can be an emotionally & mentally draining task. I’m very honored to be apart of this journey for you and your family. P.s your great gram Lola in her wedding picture resembles my grandmother when she was younger. I’m pretty sure it’s a long shot that we are related but when I first saw that picture I had to show my mother who also agreed. And interesting thing is her children could also pass for white.

[@politicallyincorrect2399]

Hi! I am so happy to find your channel. My husband's grandfather and beyond are from Natchitoches too. Their surname is DeSadier and I have begun the journey of helping him discover the history of his family. My husband identifies as black and that's how he looks, but recently discovered that his ancestors were African, Native American, Mexican, Spanish, and French. We plan to visit Natchitoches this summer and we hope to experience and document this journey just like you have done. Awesome job!!!

[@julesmum9781]

Tysm for showing the small bits of informal family meetings in Nachitoches!! Those clips communicate just as much as the interviews of one or two at a time

[@Myraisins1]

Such a beautiful conversation.

[@cgirls.3676]

This a awesome conversion. Conversions that back in the day could not be openly had. People were just trying survive. I can't imagine how scary Passing. Every day terrified someone would find out. Though I never had to question being black. I ever knew my family history on my dads side. Stopped at his father who he did know. Not sure if that he really is his dad. You would think Natchitoches being so small it would be easy to find out information but its not. 😢

[@nytn]

It's hard to think about how long it was this way....

[@TruthIsLikeTheSun]

​@nytn And, how recent it was. It wasn't that long ago at all. Residue of it continues. Hard to fathom that such "isms" still exist in a so-called civilized, mostly Christian, highly intellectual society. How insecure, fearful, greedy, or hateful does a people have to be to feel good about themselves only by hating and oppressing others to the point that the others don't even like themselves or want to claim their heritage because some insecure, ignorant and arrogant people need to elevate themselves. 😢 Sad situation.

[@sabaolmec8556]

My 2 x great-grandmother was Chinese who came to the United States in the 1800s. These Chinese were called Coolies. They worked on the railroad and fields as farmers or sharecroppers. Alot of the men married black women from the South. These men were black Chinese. In the movie "The Last Dragon", Bruce Leroy was called a Coolie all the time. Another movie was "Coolie High". On my mother's side of the family they were from France. I have all that history, but I won't share it on the net. My family also have black, white and Black native American. The Black Chinese Coolie come from the Western and Southern parts of China.

[@gypsy1588]

We are all the sum of those who came before us. After 30+ years of research, this is the conclusion of, who am I? I am a new generation of all of them. Wherever I go, whatever land, be it mine or theirs, that I walk on, I carry them within me.

[@nytn]

It's beautiful! We have such a large family, even if we didnt know them, they are always with us

[@Catlily5]

Great video about searching for identity!

[@nytn]

It takes a lot of work sometimes, but it is SO worth it in the end

[@rustydevil7192]

I stumbled upon your channel and listened to you and your cousin and it blows me away because you all look like family to me and all the topics you bring up are so relevant to me. My mother is from east Texas, Kilgore, Longview area and what you mentioned about family that did what they had to in order to survive and thrive even though they left their lives but I feel exactly what you all are talking about. I use to think that I was double oppressed because of the Indian and black side never knowing or denying I had Scottish blood until I did a DNA test but listening to you all sounding like my family to me. I'm amazed with the topic and don't feel alone but more at home. I learned years ago it's more like it adds to me as a human. Like your uncle said when he met you he can see everything about you down to your mannerisms are totally that. Or when you meet a distant cousin and you oh my God he looks like Junebug. I feel we are all connected in some way. I had to go look at my ancestry to see if you all were on my DNA matches. 🙋🏽‍♂️

[@nytn]

Im so glad you found the channel. It's not about being oppressed but it is about...reconnecting to something that was almost lost. If you want to check for matches you can look up Perot or Donnelly last names. :)

[@rocketreindeer]

Thank you. Where I grew up in Canada, thousands and thousands of us were put up for adoption between the 1950s and 1990s. For those of us that were mixed or had lighter skin, many of us were told we were "white" or something olive like Italian. My friend had white skin but slightly Asian looking eyes and was told she had some distant Japanese ancestry. As an adult, she traced her family through opened adoption files, and found out one parent was 100% Indigenous. She asked the social worker why she was told she was white with a little bit of Asian, and they told her they did that as a matter of routine just to get the kids adopted out. My friend had what we sometimes call "Indian dreams" of cultural things she hadn't experienced firsthand (which I found out later aligns with Carl Jung's theory of the genetic collective unconscious) from childhood. She felt very ashamed about saying anything about her Indigenous feelings (before finding family) for fear of being called a "wannabe," which is often called "pretendian" today. Both can sometimes be used as terrible slurs on some mixed people. I was also adopted out, and had a person from the Rez boldly proclaim I am not Native because of the adoption. The unresolved anger of some people can make reconnecting challenging, but ultimately it's still freeing. There are always people who will project negativity onto others, but like in court, truth is the ultimate defence against the voices of jerks that will fade away.

[@nytn]

I love how much you have processed on your journey, I’m emotional reading it!

[@rocketreindeer]

@@nytn Thank you SO much beautiful sis, I'm not gonna lie, it has been rough, and some people are mean. But I've had Elders tell me they believe I had a grandparent that prayed I would not be lost. There is a saying, "if you lose your song, listen for it. Your song is in the wind, and it will blow back to you." I had the Indian dreams and visions too (like an awake daydream where you suddenly just imagine something like a movie for some reason). And when people were mean, the dreams gave life to my bones and kept me and my Indigenous spirit alive. I've been to certain places and just thought, "I know exactly who I am," just from being there, and almost certainly a place where ancestors were. It's hard to explain in English, but if we were talking in an Indigenous language, you'd know exactly what I'm meaning to say from my heart, if you know what I mean. THANK YOU AGAIN.

[@vickijohnson4985]

In and of ourselves, I don’t know that there would generally be an internal feeling of what our ethnicity is. Rather it is acquired from how we’re brought up and the influences that are given to us. Spoken or unspoken: this is our family, who we are, what we believe, what we do. Even if there are signs that negate the narrative, we accept our experience. This is also true when kids are adopted and look different from their parents or other children. As they age, others may say something about how they look different from their family or they may recognize it themselves, and yet sometimes it’s not even noticed. I love your work. Thanks for sharing.

[@tlrcarroll]

Wow! She looks so much like your picture of Lola! 🥰🫶🏼

[@intodaysepisode...]

Thank you all for sharing your family path. I am in/from Baton Rouge, and I am so familiar with this story. Thank you for honoring your ancestors.

[@michellesamuels8435]

This was an amazing conversation and explaining the truth of not just your ancestors' experience of needing to pass, but you and your generations' truth- now discovering your heritage when you never knew nor grew up in that culture. It's funny, both you and your cousin explained that you both grew up White, but strangers, what have you, didn't necessarily view you as "white appearing" nor did I when I first saw you, your cousin and some of your other relatives in this series. I definitely thought, Black-mixed/Native American/Multicultural. The Perot genes are strong.

[@nytn]

This comment was amazing, thank you so much. Finding your family and your family story is literally priceless

[@clairbadeaux1510]

I am so proud of you!

[@nytn]

this is so beautiful, I know Casey has been on a long journey herself

[@MsVMScorp]

My family is from the Natch La area, I don’t know how I found your video! But many blessings to you! ❤

[@edwardenglish1021]

The reason why you have this need to know and this is for you and your cousin have realize your ancestors have a need to be known, what they are saying is We will not be denied you have our blood flowing through your veins and whether or not you grew up in it it's your to claim by right of blood and no one can deny you. So I say to you claim it be proud of it and represent and remember you are not on this journey alone you are being lead by ancestors.

[@nytn]

Thank you, Edward!

[@gwenjones667]

My father's mother shared a lot with me and only me, I'm the history keeper...I saw her outside on a Sunday with her hands raised in the air...she freaked when she realized I saw her and was told she was praying to God like the Indians, CHITIMITCHIA are the Indians from Louisiana...she couldn't teach me but promised when I became a grown woman I would be able to pray like the Indians...it was against the law until the Freedom of Religion Act signed by Richard Nixon in the Early 70s..in my 40s a medicine man crossed my path and yes,I pray and celebrate ceremonies just like the Indians...🥰🥰🥰💖💖💖EXCELLENT CHANNEL

[@nonyenelson3898]

I’ve been following your story with great interest. I wish professor Henry Louis Gates would see your story, who knows what else he can help you uncover. Out of curiosity, did you ever find out who your black ancestor is ?

[@nytn]

I applied to be on Finding Your Roots, they are going to do an episode on a regular person, but I am sure so many people applied!

[@williebrinson4699]

Great question, great replly.

[@cgirls.3676]

I applied too. I agree I am sure millions applied. Your family story would be perfect for finding Your Roots. My favorite show.

[@kristinamitchell5274]

I feel like what you guys are going through is shared by many African Americans.. we start off with a story about who we are, get more information, find out that’s not actually correct, get more information and accept that is what our real family history is however all we know is the Black experience and even if we have features from other cultures being Black stands in the forefront and that is how we self identify. If we were to be transparent there are NO purely African people in the US that were descendants of slavery. We vary from 5 percent non African to as much as 45 percent non African. But culturally we are of Black culture with remnants of African culture in the background. I hope that makes sense.

[@nytn]

Kristina, it does! more now than ever. DNA tests are not the best guessers for percentages, but based on them, Lola (my mom's grandma) was half Black/half Mexican. That means my mom's gram who she lived with and knew so well....could have easily identified as a Black woman (and maybe in her heart she did, maybe back home in Louisiana she was). It has been a gift to piece things together, even if the story is bittersweet at times.

[@JaneAtwellRobinson1825NY]

I see in the war draft cards, my ancestors wrote things like "Scotch" under the race question. Creole should be a choice too - btw your cousin does look similar to you, so amazing even several generations later the similarities. :)

[@nytn]

She definitely felt like family immediately! I love the draft cards, I wish there were more specific options if only because I enjoy seeing what gets written down. Scotch is so specific (and helpful!).

[@CraftingInWis]

I don't think you are alone with the feelings about family ties. My dads side tried so hard to hide the black ancestry

[@MsVMScorp]

The artwork behind your cousin looks like a picture my great aunt Clementine Hunter from Melrose, Louisiana painted.

[@edileebates4971]

I also have grandparents from Chiwauhwa Mexico ..

[@jamescox1375]

It’s seems so odd to hear the word trauma associated with this topic. The wider perspective is that many people left Europe and intermarried in regions of this country. Those Europeans lost all contact with their heritage and their families. It was as a choice. We kept our identity by going home to spend time with family often. Both my mom and dads side. For reference, you put me out in the sun and I don’t burn, I brown. It’s true that people ‘made up’ certain aspects of their heritage and we all know why they did it. Your series on when the Germans, Italians and Irish became “white” explains it about as well as anyone could. But that should not have kept people from going home to visit their relatives. Even when we ended up in the Chicagoland area, we still went ‘home’ all the time. I can tell you at 63 that much of the culture and the traditions of my ‘family’ down south was the culture and traditions of poor people. These people started out with no generational wealth, lived through and were born in the Great Depression and survived two world wars. The more I watch from the journey here, the more I love and respect my parents for keeping our ‘family’ alive in our hearts and in our experience. I loved goin home.

[@MademoiselleCreoleAfrodita-j1h]

I live in Baton Rouge as well

[@clementmckenzie7041]

This really is about perspective, When I started watching this channel. I was just incredulous at the idea that you looked in the mirror every day and saw a white woman. I have come to understand however this is because I am black from a family that has always identified as black regardless of how white, native, or Asian they looked, and in a community that is familiar with the various looks and shades that black people in the Americas have. I imagine that is not a reality in a white world, I supposed that white people are unfamiliar with the diversity of new-world blackness. Or just how unremarkable mixed-race ancestry really is within black communities, it's just commonplace. No matter how dark, light, African looking, or European looking you are. The fact that your ancestry is mixed is just a fact of life. You just know. your family shares some of it with you but even if they didn't it's just so normal that just is what it is. Naomi Campbell's Grandfather is Chinese, Tyson Beckford's mother is Chinese Jamaican, Nicky Minaj is of Chinese, Dasi, and African ancestry, Wesley Snipes is of Native American ancestry, The rapper Foxy Brown is of Chinese ancestry, we are all of us of European ancestry. No one ever really has to discuss it much because this is the reality of being black in the Americas. Being mixed race is the de facto definition of being black in the Americas. It's the one thing all of us share in common. This multi-racial ancestry even if we do not cultivate a multiracial identity. For us, the reality is that some of us look like Mariah Cary and some of us look like Wesley Snipes, but blackness has always been able to encompass that whole spectrum of presentation in a way whiteness just can't comfortably do. I now understand that white people are, for whatever reason, just not aware of any of that. Just be aware, there is no black community on this side of the world, that does not have people who look like both of you living comfortably and uncontroversially inside of it. So I highly doubt most black people would be offended by however you chose to identify. We coined the terms "of African descent" and "African American" specifically to allow people who didn't look very black to be able to enjoy community with people who do. If you see yourself as white then to me that is what you are, however, you gotta be aware that the term white was never meant to include you. It was specifically meant to exclude people like you. I don't say this in judgment, it's just what it is. It was meant to, classify, separate and exclude. Within American culture whiteness, is the only racial identity you can not choose to adopt, a mixed-race person will always be "white-passing" or to leave a white person will always be white no matter who they marry, what community they join or what race their children present as. In America, whiteness, though as much of a construct as blackness, is a constant

[@NONANTI]

I know, right?

[@dwaynejones1146]

As a Foundational Black American (FBA), I have never had the choice to self identify and be anything except black in America....it seems the real desire oftentimes with multi raced people,is to erase the black part....and that hurts black people who are also of mixed but have a darker fenile type,because it prolongs this nations caste system that says darker is a lower station....even though we are family.

[@sallyintucson]

You two have the same eyes!

[@vatricegeorge]

The last name Perot is French, so I'm surprised someone reared in Louisiana would not think they may have some Creole ancestry. I would think creole coworkers and friends would ask about your background or try to "claim" you.

[@caseycarr]

The only Perots I had ever met were closely related to me. I had heard of Ross Perot but other than that, just my family. What I thought I knew about Creole people was that they were of Haitian descent and were concentrated around New Orleans and Lafayette which didn’t fit what I knew about my dads family. Little did I know about the Creole’s in North Louisiana on Cane River. Once I knew that and learned more about Creole culture it made complete sense. No one ever told me what I was, only asked if I knew and I had no answers.

[@dejavu8412]

I agree. It baffles me that someone could be born and raised in Louisiana, where the creole culture is so rich and not question their heritage. The cousin in the video doesn't look all white and her Father definitely looks like a man if color.

[@shawnahall7246]

From Louisiana too papa from marksville in Alexandria area and other side is from Lake Charles. My papa lived in Indian territory on the actual land they built the Casino on but he would only claim French lol

[@williebrinson4699]

11:34 where did that gene originate from?

[@nytn]

Africa, China, and indigenous America according to our combined DNA tests

[@robinjordan-henry9215]

I'm really enjoying your series. Unfortunately the community of brown and black people kept many secrets. It is vestige carried over from 19th century and prior centuries. Secrecy was necessary to survive.

[@nytn]

Robin, it was! But now, what do we do? Times have changed in some ways, and many people are wondering if you can reconnect like you should have been connected all along...

[@Pookiegmaw1958]

I think the white kept lots of secretes too or didn’t know that they had African ancestry.

[@kcn7826]

they believed in ghost and spirits at Campti, I went to a funeral there as a child and my grandfather showed me bottles hanging from a tree that spirits got into, we were not even at Campti, there was a ghost dog that would run into the shadows and disappear at night, but the horse never saw the dog, only the person who told me the story, the dog touched his stirrup and ran into the shadows and faded, before he saw the dog, he already was told it existed, there was a few other stories, friends would come to you before you died the next day that were ghost, it was a unique culture

[@marthamurphy7940]

It's hard for me to believe Lola's children didn't ask her things like, "Did you have any brothers or sisters?" Just the simple questions we ask our parents growing up. "Where did you go to school?" and so on. But in your interview with your mother, it seemed as if she had no curiosity about her mother's childhood, either.

[@kcn7826]

All the creeks were clear until they put in gravel roads, you could go to a blacksmith and make a spear with a wagon spring and gig a buffalo fish or gig it by the bubbles it made in dirty water

[@kcn7826]

If I didn't tell, the information would be lost, I was told, but told to pass it on to anyone

[@khayeel634]

That picture of Gene Perot looks just like my first cousin!

[@toyeaisha8339]

He looks like Channing Tatum. Very handsome!

[@habibahq4272]

I am really confused how two women who do not look white couldn't see it. Now. I know how my great aunt, a clearly mixed woman, passed for "white". It's a mindset, I guess. OR IT'S A STATUS...we see people in Mexico or Arizona, indigenous Americans with dark brown skin listed as White on the census...same with Latinos and even Africans. I feel like everything is a lie. 😂😂😂

[@nytn]

you mean me and my cousin Casey? You would be so interested to hear how we grew up. I did a mini docu-series on this called "Finding Lola"...I knew we werent being told the truth but I had no idea how to find it kzbin.info/aero/PLvzaW1c7S5hQcox9CjaJWA7QKTYXw9Zn2

[@habibahq4272]

@nytn yes... you and your cousin in the video look mixed. I've been following since the first video. And the documentary. I love watching your family discoveries. I have so many ethnicities in my family, I have radar for race, lol. Keep up the excellent research and truth seeking. I especially love your interactions with the newfound family. I have done the same thing through DNA. The family we meet that look all kinds of ways and the connections. Thumbs way up for sharing these videos.

[@nytn]

@@habibahq4272 LOL at the radar! Im realizing most people see things we missed. Thank you so much for being here for the journey and your thoughts. It feels great to have kindred spirits on here!

[@caseycarr]

@@habibahq4272 I would see so many similarities in different characteristics and I would always wonder but no one would ever give me a straight answer. I’m so proud/thrilled/happy to finally know the truth❤

[@nytn]

@@agh6250 I think there is a lot of contextual bias, knowing the family history probably makes it easier to "see" things for sure.

[@TheKatdawg65]

My dad was full European, but my ma was all kinds of mixed...white, Native American, African, Asian. I have frequently gotten the "what are you?" question.

[@peachygal4153]

I saw that article about what the average American would like in 2040 I thought, not 2050, but maybe I am remembering wrong. The computer-generated image looked very much like Vanessa Williams. Olive skin, green eyes, curly hair. We all know she identifies as Black, but she is obviously mixed.

[@edileebates4971]

it's nice to find out now, but my health has been seriously affected my 62 yrs on this planet because my parents chose to keep quiet about having Cameroon Congo and Senegal roots, waiting for results of sickle cell 52 years after spending a month in the hospital turning age 10 there....mom said I was Anemic ... We are family from researching ..Perot's.. Bates.

[@kcn7826]

I was not told to pass the information, but wasn't told not to either

[@shawnahall7246]

I remember my mom telling me that when in school in Louisiana her sister was called a mulatto and her mom was so offended it’s crazy

[@The1ByTheSea]

when asked about discrimination ,some of these communities were all mixed race ,and stuck to their communities ;so they did not really face discrimination :everyone was mixed race:take for example : the Redbones .

[@marvinortiz9984]

Very nice vid. I am white-ish, comparatively speaking. But I'm not. My Father is definitely not white. Neither was his Mother. Many of heir ancestors are often identified as pardos libres in old church records. And my maternal Grandfather has a line where he descends from slaves and freed people that married white and even came to own slaves and eventually identified themselves as white. I also have indigenous ancestry, a huge chunk of it shows in my DNA. And it's funny if you consider we were taught that our native populations went extinct soon after the Spanish arrived. My paternal Grandfather descended from Spanish people and my maternal Grandparents have Spanish and Portuguese ancestors. And yet they want us to fill in a race box like it's so easy.

[@williebrinson4699]

15:30 that's interesting I'd like to hear more of this, my grand mother was 1/2 white and she was Black not in skin but Mentally. We have the dna results and although I'm mixed with plenty of european groups, england, france, sweden, I claim none of that because of what they did to the Indigenous first before they did it to Our ancestors. And someone tell me why you want to be white after all they have done to destroy the planet?

[@nytn]

Well, it’s not about wanting to be White or not want to be White for me, but how was I raised and how do people see me?

[@vatricegeorge]

Im rewatching and i tried to be ooen minded the first time I watched. But no way the cousin who grew up in Louisiana really believed she or her dad was just white. They preferred not to know the truth.

[@caseycarr]

Of course I knew he wasn’t just white. But there was never conversation and when I brought it up, it was shut down. HIS parents never told HIM and he’s in his 80s. Generations of hiding and the answers get lost. It wasn’t out of not knowing. It was out of hesitation to claim ANYTHING without knowing for sure. I would have LOVED to have grown up knowing the truth. Why else would I have taken a DNA test.

[@kcn7826]

People left Campti and they wanted to live and not discrimination against, the people who married into wealthier families were discriminated against by their siblings and their children, even disowned and disinherited because they didn't like you, maybe if some of the siblings that never lived off their parents were disinherited because they made their own way and were financially independent, there was a lot of jealousy and they imagined certain siblings looked down on them? It was all in their insecure minds because we never looked down on any of them, many of them may have had psychological problems because of all the secrecy?

[@nytn]

I cant imagine living in a culture of secrecy does not do damage, in fact I am pretty sure it damaged a lot of our family

[@jayregal6478]

What TRIBE? The BLACK BLOOD TRIBE! Take pride in who you are!

[@williebrinson4699]

9:05 how many people (Abused by this country In their right minds) have the flag in their yards? I ask this question for the sake of Education.

[@NONANTI]

Everyone who wants to be American and not some Hyphenated American.

[@lindyashford7744]

This thing about where are you from is just a minefield for mixed people! No matter where they are from. This is going to be a big thing in the future too where people have fractured backgrounds that they do not understand. On the one hand you are who you are, who you have been brought up to be, but what other people perceive you to be interrupts this! And that question! And once you start to understand your family history the one you never knew, it is almost like to give an honest answer you would have to say ‘how long have you got?’ So the. You give the easy one, the one that glosses over everything, the one you have been taught to give, the person gives you a perplexed look, and …. All the weird feelings follow. This is what the racialization of heritage has done. This is its legacy. And if you are mixed you are forever stuck in this in between place. In a way mixed origin peoples need to stand up for that dual, triple, quadruple, who knows how many heritages place and own it and then people will understand it’s complexity. Then maybe mixed people can become a bridge to the future instead of the secrets of the past. Your cousin gives such a beautiful description of the realisation she was seeing people l8ke herself for the first time…. This is a thing world wide too… where there are mixed people who have been brought up as you both were in a culture where to not think of yourself as white is unthinkable and dangerous…. Then you find this other space where it is all normal and you can see yourself reflected…. That is a powerful and overwhelming feeling. You know there is inter generational trauma there, especially in the Americas, but elsewhere as well, but there is also inter generational strength, because in all the cultural spaces you inhabit and do or do not identify with, mostly the family you find has in some way transcended it, either by living long interesting lives, or being rocks for each other, or being successful against the odds, even if the price is all those unanswered and even unanswerable questions. Lovely video, which describes things that are of far wider significance than the participants realise. Or maybe they do realise it but know it is just a beginning and a path to a more tolerant future.

[@nytn]

Lindy, this is beautiful, and like you said "Then you find this other space where it is all normal and you can see yourself reflected…. That is a powerful and overwhelming feeling." yes, this is it to my heart! So thankful for that beautiful comment

[@williebrinson4699]

14:30 who are these people we owe exactly? Everyone has an African grand parent, some of us have so called white grand parents that came from African parents. Africans gave birth to all of humanity.

[@kcn7826]

I was told as a child by hateful people who were from Natchitoches and my uncle's wife said derogatory remarks, I always thought we were native, but thought maybe they were wrong about the negro, my aunt had cut hair before married , she said " you hair is different " the vile remarks to degrade you as human being were rare, but people sometimes wanted you to be degraded

[@nytn]

how awful:(

[@robinthomas4677]

I'm not understanding who you people trusting to get those answer

[@kcn7826]

It had to be a big enough area where they didn't know everybody, it had to be spread out

[@carterzmom]

Hi! I really respect you and your journey, but one thing bothers me. Why won't you say you have African ancestry as a part of you? You allude to it often, but don't seem to fully embrace it. My mother is of mixed race ancestry. Dna testing helped me pinpoint her father's white side and her many 2nd cousins, many of whom have embraced her. The Native American side of her is still hidden since native/indigenous people haven't really submitted to testing and thus the ancestry dna companies have nothing to compare with. My mom always knew her dad's father was white and her dad's mother was half Cherokee Indian and Black, but her father and his siblings were raised black by law and by having a sense of community. It was forbidden for her to say otherwise. That is a different story relating to the one drop rule of the South and the avoidance of betraying of your own people. My mother, soon to be 87, now says she is mixed race even though she is fully a part of the black community. Embrace who you are and don't hesitate! The black community is used to having various skin tones, various ancestral back stories. You will find acceptance if you allow it. I wish you the best on your continued journey. 🙏🏾

[@nytn]

Cheryl, this comment was wonderful thank you. Part of the journey for me (and some of my family, but I won’t speak for them) is realizing that some community members would NOT want us to identify with an experience we didn’t have first hand, and I respect that, too. Not sure if you saw my videos where I traced my enslaved ancestors back to the original plantation (and even back to Africa!). I don’t have any shame in it, but I do worry about taking up space where I shouldn’t.♥️

[@carterzmom]

@NYTN Thank you for your response! You are who you are. Don't worry about what others will say. The black community, especially from the southern states, already knows "your story." It is common to us all. We all have a grandparent or elder relative who looked different due to racial mixing. Think of your story as a reunion, not an anomaly! 🙏🏾

[@nytn]

Oh my gosh. A reunion! My eyes filled with tears at this, that’s exactly how it has felt. ♥️thank you

[@nishmin5244]

@@nytn You would never take up space where you shouldn’t. You are mixed heritage and many of us from Southern Louisiana know what this means and who you exactly are… We have family members who have passed for white, moved and never returned, stayed in their creole families. This is natural for us… ❤❤ And we embrace everyone of our family members because we know our plight.

[@jamespresident6577]

Could be French Huganots they were dark complexion and often there is a connection where those foreign folks married indigenous American like my Family.

[@debismith6239]

We believe from the paper trail we are part French Huguenot. I did not know they had dark complexions. That would explain my deceased dad and my adult son's ability to tan so easily.

[@BoBo-ti6jh]

Huguenots were not of a dark complexion. They were simply French Protestants.

[@kcn7826]

they would drink moonshine liquor and have barn dances with a acoustic guitar and fiddle, a lot of stabbings and violence at Campt

[@kcn7826]

don't look at the big plantation house, the poor owned slaves at Campti

[@loveblue2422]

Hi baby cousin I am charity ann Hamilton knight great Great, she was my grandmother's mother's mother my grandmother name is Louise Hamilton Is crazy they label us as a black Creole My grandmother was 100% native American

[@loveblue2422]

When you get a chance I would like for you to Google the story of Charity Hamilton knight , her birthday is 1791 Please don't cry when you see this story because they took her when she was only three years old

[@loveblue2422]

And that's how I am related to you through her maternal Just imagine somebody taking your baby because she is so pretty like a doll These people back then had such a nerve it's crazy but I'm happy she made it back here or we wouldn't be here

[@scribebing2043]

U dont look white baby

[@kcn7826]

they called them "red bones"

[@khutchinsoncpa1]

My Louisiana momma told me to never use that word - someone would stick a knife in me.

[@scribebing2043]

She doesn look white.

[@robertwaguespack9414]

Jesus suis fier d'etre qui je ssuis.

[@kcn7826]

I was told they did own slaves, so it was a big mess, if you dig you will find evidence t

[@nytn]

I have been digging!!

[@kcn7826]

People even died drinking poison liquor, malaria, families came down with fevers and died

[@robflo619]

There's no such thing as generational trauma.

[@nytn]

well, the way we discuss this in the video... it is the problems that have trickled down in our family because of issues that happened long before we were born

[@The.Diva.DeAnna]

@robflo619 Here’s a simpler concept for you…. It’s called “being wrong”. And you are so incredibly wrong. Danielle I’ve been introduced to your work through Casey, who is one of my dearest friends. What you are doing is a gift. It’s beautiful. Thank you for sharing it. And Casey you have been phenomenal since the moment I met you ❤ But still you want to grow and Learn. You’re so considerate of what identities mean to people and what it looks like to step into those spaces. I’m so proud of you! I can’t wait to see more.

[@nytn]

@@The.Diva.DeAnna DeAnna, thank you so much. Im so blessed to have met Casey and the rest of that side of the family. Connecting with her is one of the happy stories people are looking for when they begin a journey like this. So glad you are here with us on the journey

[@normaredman2198]

Some trauma is not all resolved in just one generation.

[@khutchinsoncpa1]

Ask children of alcoholics if there is generational trauma in their families. You will get your answer.