The Ancestry Trap: This Geneticist Wants to Shift the Focus From DNA Testing to Black Futures

Dr. Janina Jeff can tell you just about anything you want to know about genetics testing: How does it work? What can it tell you? How do you spell mitochondria again? But Jeff herself has never taken a DNA test.
“It still sits on my shelf,” she told The Root in a recent interview. A Ph.D. student in human genetics at Vanderbilt at the time (Jeff would eventually become the first African American to receive a human genetics doctorate from the prestigious university), Jeff knew that the research around ancestry testing wasn’t very sound at the time. She was also unsure about how she might feel learning her results, especially given the painful and traumatic stories behind European ancestry in black people. But another major concern was that the test was free.
“I learned that anything that is given away to you for free is not actually free,” Jeff said. “That means you’re the product.”
Read more:
www.theroot.com/the-ancestry-...

[@AncestryNerd]

Thank you for sharing your expertise, Dr. Janina Jeff. I started out as a genetics major in undergraduate college. I've only been a science girl. I am now a genetic genealogist. I trace families using paper records, digital databases, and DNA cousin matches. I specialize in Ashkenazi Jewish families and have had the opportunity to do research for Black families. It's amazing to see how much can be found in the 1800s for persecuted populations. We grow up thinking there isn't a lot out there to find. It's very sad and at times very emotionally exhausting. There is a healing that comes when we understand our past. We can heal our ancestors. Dr. Jeff reminds us that we can heal the FUTURE

[@MahareyS]

Where did you get your education? I'm very interested.

[@shavon121]

Great video! Thanks for sharing! 💓🌸☀️

[@ninja2598]

I’m currently an undergraduate, I’ve completed genetics research this semester; I said the exact same thing. I notice in today research they still do the compatible/comparative with euro (is sub divided nationality and age) and blacks (not subdivide, only by age, ) like they did in the 1960’s

[@calmingwaves3134]

I learned a lot, thanks for this.

[@2brainylike]

Dang, I thought she was gonna point us to a website or company she owns where we can sell our own and become shareholders, I guess we have to go on a search of our own, so glad to receive this information. Thank you🙏🏾👌🏾

[@MadameJaneDoe]

Me too!

[@Tasheaj]

What’s her thoughts on Afro Roots a black owned DNA company?

[@alanaweaver8942]

I opted out of having my DNA shared in health research but who knows if AncestryDNA truly honors their Terms and Conditions. It’s important Geneticists of African descendant invest and study how our genetics effect medical conditions, illnesses and disease in the African population. Why doesn’t African Ancestry provide family member links similar to Ancestry DNA if they have over 30000 samples in their database? Do they plan too?

[@tajj1617]

Thank you for the information beautiful ❤️

[@VibesOfTheWrath]

How do you feel about your holy temple be changed from dna to rna without you knowing? The wicked is sneaky like a serpent.

[@QuaimeVLee]

Thank you for posting this. It gives me a very different perspective on these tests. I have done one and have found my results change very significantly in the last 20 months and have considered doing a second. Now, I am not so sure.

[@Inthegap23]

You are very smart. Thank you for the eye opening content.

[@rena9722]

What a great perspective. Thanks for speaking about this. 😊

[@aqbhawkins28]

Thanks 🙏🏼 ❤

[@xfesto5734]

Yes

[@grooviestmaster]

I understand you said if it's for free then we're the product being sold. So, is it okay to do a genetic test if you pay for test?

[@daltanionwaves]

Probably not as the reason for her caution is the same in the paid tests as well. Specifically, you are automatically opted-in to giving your DNA to the same Genetic Databases used by the FBI and other clandestine government agencies. Read the fine print. Talk to a sales person representing the genetic test and of course trust about 25% of what they say as they are trying to sell you something. I've heard that you can opt-out of these things. But I'm a natural skeptic to my bones and a libertarian. Still, the science of genetics and ancestry is an incredible things no matter what our history is, so you should continue to pursue it.

[@lyric9205]

@@daltanionwaves I bought a test and now I don’t want to take it ! I literally don’t know what to do 🤦🏽‍♀️

[@daltanionwaves]

@@lyric9205 As long as you plan on never committing a crime it should be fine. It is cool too know what your ancestry is. It's the same as registering your finger prints. If you don't want your finger prints or your DNA stored in a database, that's up to you. The government will have access to the results, and so will insurance and life insurance companies that might charge you more later in life because of certain indications in your genes. Most home-tests like 23 and Me also sell their users data to private companies. It's up to you. It should be fine. It's just important that you know some shady stuff goes on behind the scenes. But if you don't think anyway of it will affect you, then go ahead and take it. Also, it looks like we're losing our medical privacy in the US. The government is using Covid as an excuse to make our private medical information publicly available, so who knows how our DNA could be used in the future. But it should be fine...

[@celeste5607]

@@lyric9205 Send your kit to me. I have tons of people who would like to do it but cannot afford it.

[@ChocolateMelanin]

@@lyric9205 don’t do it.

[@fetengineer9151]

Thank God for me learning about my DNA. I'm so glad I did... And because money is KING in the current world you know damn well ain't nothing FREE.

[@foggycraw6758]

Someone please recommended me some more channels like GrapeVine and The Root! Thank you! ✊🏾

[@viviancovington7813]

Thank you 😊

[@princex6091]

I support u Queen 🙌👑

[@queenahill3437]

Absolutely 👏🏾👏🏾

[@ifyousayso9392]

Yesss!! I like her 👏🏽👏🏽

[@FL_born.SC_raised]

As someone who knows the names of men who were overseers of my African ancestors, both Maternal and Paternal, taking this test will help me find my DNA cousins. I know that there are more of us out there.

[@tjmccay166]

Absolutely

[@emhyrarmani9049]

I like her ❤️

[@citymindstv7108]

Amazing talk. Got me thinking bout selling some DNA for a million dollars.

[@spiderman1563]

This needs to be told.

[@jayevans6077]

Great video. Very informative

[@UzbekSoldier]

Does ancestry change biologically?

[@BrittBrattBossLady]

4:05 Exaclty what I said.

[@analyst1777]

Start your company. We trust you!

[@diosjupiter9203]

Whats "the fairy tale" they use in marketing?

[@001islandprincess]

Dios Jupiter Greetings. People actually believe that a DNA test can tell a person’s “ethnicity” or “ethnicities” which has nothing to do with “ancestry.” All the “estimates” provide is an “estimate” of one’s ancestral makeup. No test can tell a person how a person’s ancestors’ identified themselves and what culture they were reared in. Also, all these testing companies only test less than 5% of your total genome yet people are posting videos saying they are X this and X that. Wrong! The accurate interpretation is that of a small fraction of my genome tested, X percent matches the reference panel group from Y country and so on.

[@miguelpatrick79]

@@001islandprincess nope they test way more then 5 percent and DNA testing is 99.9percent accurate this young lady went to school for this your some random moron on KZbin who think they know more then actual experts your history if black started in Africa it did not start anywere else cut it out

[@papasom3337]

You’re a geneticist! Get it started! Partner with the right teams both legal and scientific and create the companies that would do exactly as you’ve described. I think you are the tip of the spear.

[@walterjackson-heron4776]

Yes we need to get the profit

[@daltanionwaves]

All Of The Profit

[@sonyapeach]

This is what I have been saying since this DNA ancestry crap came out. Also the only way a company would use our DNA to help us is if the company is Black owned and operated. But even then they could have nefarious intentions.

[@daltanionwaves]

It's all about the Benjamin's 💲💲💲

[@1titans]

The Black owned ones are the worst ones. But I will say I have found clise family members that were given away for adoption. Ive come across some very interesting things because of the DNA test

[@AwakenedDivinity]

@@1titans Did that need to be said, “The Black owned ones are the worse.” I know you are entitled to your opinion and freedom of speech, but don’t tear another company down just because of who they are, look at the intentions of all of them. And might I add, it’s really sad that we have to pay to have our DNA done by companies when our identity, culture, history, language, etc was stripped away from us and now we are left in the balance to figure out who we are as a people. That’s a travesty!! Now, we have to pay to have that done not knowing if we are getting the truth or not. The “black” companies are not to blame for that, just saying. And take a good look at what the non-“black” companies are doing with your DNA and how general they are with your data. Look at the intentions and service behind all these companies out there. Like I said, I know you have freedom of speech and you are entitled to your own opinion, but putting down one company over another one is tacky. That’s one of the things that’s wrong with us as a people. If you don’t agree with something don’t participate in it, take it with a grain of salt, don’t watch it or just move on..but tearing someone or company down is just tacky.

[@1titans]

@@AwakenedDivinity Yes it needed to be said cause they are. The info they give you is horrible and not even truthful.

[@kwamester14]

The black ones don’t care either!

[@alexusbrooke]

I believe ancestry dna and 23 and me are guessing people results and 23andme they really tells u that they are guesting they dont know exactly

[@paintbrush3554]

All dna testing is an estimate. The accuracy increases with sample size of participants and knowledge of ancestral genetic markers. However, the more mixed you are further back the shorter the bands of chromitid that can be used to indentify you're ancestry the harder it is to be certain. Especially since even the ancestors themselves most likely are not" pure" of one ethnicity and not all of your dna(even if u received it from said ethnicity) carries a known genetic marker. This is why ancestry no longer reports on "low confidence trace DNA" that is hard for them to estimate. This is also why as technology increases and more people participate, your results could slightly change.

[@rena9722]

They got our DNA at day one: in the hospital. Jussayen.

[@EMANBURNS]

I’ve been saying this for so long.

[@limonesycafe8898]

Dr. Jeff's opinions on European admixture and ancestry are puzzling. By the same token, not recognizing or acknowledging European admixture is also rooted in the idea of "white supremacy," and is dishonest on a fundamental level.

[@paintbrush3554]

Yeah especially since unfortunately, almost everyone has dna that somewhere originated from rape. Most warfare and mass migration displacements in human history included rape. This goes for just about every ethnicity on the planet from a scottish european to a south korean. Not to deminish the issue or significance of master on slave rape contributing to AA genetics but at the end of the day I embrace all of my ancestry regardless of how it got there. If u tell mixed african americans with significant european ancestry that embracing part of their genetics is negative and is white sepremacy, you're sorta telling them to hate a part of themselves. I don't feel like that's a good thing

[@sarahstover476]

It is “sort of white supremacy “..a child of rape could hate it, and “hate part of themself”, why word it as if it’s not a thing? It may not be a good thing but a lot of people do hate that. Can’t blame African Americans for hating it, not everyone has consistent 3rd and 4th generational rape, it exists in all cultures, but not all were taken from their home country by the millions and continually raped, including their men.

[@limonesycafe8898]

@@sarahstover476 But that is a narrative. One that isn’t entirely accurate. Rape may not have been the sole manner in which admixture has been inherited or ancestral lineages have been established. Personally, I believe continuing to accommodate those narrative driven beliefs only serve to perpetuate purity standards and “white supremacist” ideologies. Your statement was an example of that. Anyone from a foundational family of the Americas, currently living in the Americas, is in their home country. I completely agree, it is not good thing to tell people they should hate a part of themselves for whatever reason.

[@doubleutee8867]

I can't stand when Geneticists come online, spread some message/information, and either leave without answering questions, or cut the comment's section off altogether. if You wanna get paid for answering a question, or are afraid to say something wrong, why not stay in the university classroom an off the internet?

[@sherryparham4315]

No thanks!!

[@dominicakenu4450]

The people of Alkebulan are NOT thousands of years old. Not even approximate. Africans, our ancestors, the rename of Greek, position on this earth is AD INFINITUM. The people Africa, before the Europeans came, had every eye color, ever hair color, and every skin color, including Albinism. Dr. Ivan Van Sertima's research dictates, and his books are written with all the facts for his people education.

[@oliverphippen1957]

No one is arguing their common ancestry -we all know that so far the oldest body was found in Africa but we also know that "OUT OF AFRICA " was a movement so we have moved on and we are not all cousins or brothers and our DNA will confirm it ???

[@ifyousayso9392]

0:36 Fun fact: ol girl back there looked so sad 😅

[@Joe-xj2tb]

NO YOUR THE FIRST AMERICAN AFRICAN TO GET A PHD FROM THEM!

[@miguelpatrick79]

I guarantee it's some black American in the comment section who got his info from KZbin university saying we from Europe Asia or Russia anywere but Africa 😂

[@sugarbabyice28]

We have been on this planet for millions of years. Way before Africa, Russia or Europe was a thing.

[@miguelpatrick79]

@@sugarbabyice28 blacks are African decendents it makes no sense what your saying.🤣

[@miguelpatrick79]

@@sugarbabyice28 I wish you people would stop running from being African it's not a big deal there beautiful people with a great culture claiming that blacks or older then the continent they originate from is just your way of hiding from your African side but whatever floats your boat

[@sugarbabyice28]

@@miguelpatrick79 Africa was a invented name from the Europeans. It seems like yall are trying to force labels on us.

[@miguelpatrick79]

@@sugarbabyice28 it doesn't matter blacks are decendents of Africans regardless nobody is putting a label on anything.

[@oliverphippen1957]

Henrietta did not have to agree to use her cancer discard its part of the contract with the hospital ???

[@oliverphippen1957]

Should I allow the hospital to process my Piss and crap ????

[@kitnishal961]

Life is awful and everyone is plotting against you. lol

[@TheBonesReaperShow]

3minutes until slavery was mentioned. Damn, i thought it would happen in the first minute lol You can literally work slavery in to anything hahahaha

[@kitnishal961]

lol

[@ataurusqueenofzion916]

Does it matter though?

[@TheBonesReaperShow]

@@ataurusqueenofzion916 exactly, i dont think slavery matter in every conversation.

[@junec6907]

@@TheBonesReaperShow Its DNA and ancestry so it's likely to come up being that a lot mixing happened because of it. Weird that you hahaha as if slavery is funny. These tests sometimes can show the rape literally coming into someone's lineage. So why is that funny?

[@TheBonesReaperShow]

@@junec6907 Show me where I specifically make fun of rape. Don't twist things, good try though hahahahahaha