From the Mandinka yell to the Fulani queen strut, discovering your roots inspires a tremendous sense of pride and powerful connection. After more than six years on the front lines of delivering this transformational information, I thought that I had seen every possible type of reaction to finding your family’s roots. People are overwhelmingly happy about their results. But sometimes….the reactions aren’t so positive.

One thing we experience every time we send a batch of results is…the call. The call almost always begins with, “I think you sent me the wrong results”. The call almost always comes from someone who has just received a letter saying that their paternal ancestry is found in Europe. For some reason, probably an emotional one, many people cannot get their heads around the fact that there is a white man in their paternal line. “My father is African American.” “My father is as dark as tar.” These are just two of the many justifications that we get for why there cannot be a white man in their paternal family tree. After about 10 – 20 minutes discussing the behavior of slaveholders and slave traders, the intellectual psyche kicks back in and folks give in to the possibility.

Occasionally we get the call from people who are upset because their results are not Native American. This reaction does not surprise me either. If your family’s oral tradition has told you that your great great grandmother was a full-blooded Cherokee with long straight black hair and a finely shaped nose, and then we find that her maternal roots are African, I can see where you might be disappointed, upset, or maybe just embarrassed.

But what still has me scratching my head is the call I got from a Black woman who was upset because her paternal roots were AFRICAN! She was ashamed to tell her family that their paternal ancestry was African since they had believed for so long that they were descendants of a plantation owner. One possible explanation was that the story got passed down through the generations incorrectly. Questioning the oral tradition would be difficult. Another possible explanation was that the information showing “mulatto” were recorded incorrectly. Questioning the validity of the genealogy research would also be difficult. And yet another possible explanation was that the man who took the test wasn’t actually part of the family line. That was definitely a can of worms that she didn’t dare (nor did she want) to open.

These experiences reflect the power and emotion involved in discovering your roots. While it is difficult for some of us, for most of us the African Ancestry Experience is deeply enriching and exciting for our entire family. Whatever their origin, our roots are an important part of who we are.

We’re in Atlanta for the third year to celebrate with our partner, the National Black Arts Festival. This year’s event is bittersweet for the African Ancestry fam as it marks the last festival for former executive director, Stephanie Hughley. Stephanie is a huge fan of and very important friend to African Ancestry. She helped put us on the map in Atlanta in 2007! We are going to miss her beauty, candor, and energy.

This year’s festival is being held at the Woodruff Arts Center and is full of unique performances, inspiring conversations, fabulous Black art, African films, and so much more. Check out the schedule of events. We’ll be having a special discount on tracing your DNA and finding your roots too so make sure you stop by our booth. And, tell a friend too!

From time to time we get inquiries to speak with people who have taken our test and then traveled to their country of origin. Two weeks ago, a few media outlets called to see if  I’d just happen to know of any of our African Ancestry family members who would be in Ghana while the Obamas are there. Sure! Yeah, right. We have found Ghanaian results for at least 500 – 600 people. There has to be at least one needle in this haystack.

Kalimah Jackson is the needle in that haystack!

I sent emails to our 50 most recent Ghanaian cousins. Not only was she the ONE that had plans to travel to Accra but she was going to be there at the exact same time! This beautiful, artful, and outgoing woman shared her African Ancestry Experience with me in such a way that I knew it was divine intervention.

She traced her family’s maternal ancestry to Ghana in November 2008. When she shared the results with her family as a Christmas present, they were reminded of her older sister’s trip to Ghana many years ago. She called home every day during that visit to say that she was never coming back home to Detroit. The sense of belonging and place that she felt was so strong that she knew that Ghana was her home. Well her sister did come home at the end of the trip and from that day forward, Ghana was a part of her life. Kalimah brought the experience full circle when she told the family that they share genetic ancestry with the Akan in Ghana.

You can see Kalimah “at home” in Ghana on Good Morning America this Saturday morning. She is being interviewed by Ron Claiborne who is covering the Obamas’ visit. You can also check this sistah entrepreneur at her website, http://picnap.com.

Thank you Kalimah for being a part of the African Ancestry family!