Called back to Africa by DNA

Actor Isaiah Washington recently became a citizen of Sierra Leone, inspired by DNA testing that showed he had ancestral links to the West African country. Washington is shown in his Burbank office with a photograph of students from the village of Gerihun, in southern Sierra Leone, taken on his visit there in 2006. As a child growing up in Houston, Isaiah Washington said, his first impressions of Africans were discomfiting TV images of natives running around in raffia with bones in their noses . . . trying to put Tarzan in a pot. The 45-year-old African American actor, formerly of Greys Anatomy, said his mother never talked of Africa. School never taught him much about his ancestral continent and news stories, he said, projected a place of poverty and pestilence, corruption and war. Today, however, Washington stands so proud of Africa that he recently became a citizen of Sierra Leone, making him a dual national of that West African country and his native United States. He was inducted as a chieftain in a Sierra Leonean village. Hes started a foundation to aid Sierra Leone, contributing nearly $1 million to build a school, restore a hospital and preserve a historic British slave castle on nearby Bunce Island. Washingtons long journey from ignorance about Africa to an impassioned embrace of it was accelerated by a 2005 DNA test that linked him to the Mende people of Sierra Leone. Now, he said, descendants of slaves like him can return to the motherland to help it prosper. If we can take our intellects and resources, and reverse the brain drain and help rebuild these countries, we can define our legacies, Washington said. Washington reflects renewed interest among African Americans reaching out to Africa, some of them inspired by DNA tests that they believe solve centuries-old puzzles about their origins. The newly uncovered connections have led to more travel, philanthropic work, business ventures and, as with Washington, efforts to seek dual citizenship. The trend is expected to accelerate with the presidency of Barack Obama, a son of Kenya and Kansas. His celebrated journey to his ancestral African village in 2006 was beamed around the globe, motivating many to explore their roots, black commentators say. Particularly since Oprah Winfrey and other celebrities had their DNA tested in a 2006 PBS documentary, African Americans are increasingly using science to supplement oral histories and traditional genealogical research to find their roots, said G. Kofi Annan, a New Jersey-based design and marketing consultant who blogs about African trends. The curiosity has fueled the growth of DNA testing outfits. African Ancestry Inc., a Washington-based firm, has tested the DNA of 15,000 people against its database of 25,000 African genetic lineages, according to its president, Gina M. Paige. The firms clients include Winfrey, film director Spike Lee, musician Quincy Jones, comedian Whoopi Goldberg and actors Morgan Freeman and Don Cheadle. Other DNA testers include Bruce A. Jackson, co-director of the African American DNA Roots Project at the University of Massachusetts, who said he is swamped with so many requests that he has stopped taking them until he works through a two-year backlog. He argues, however, that the global database of African genetic profiles is too small to be able to pinpoint the exact country of origin. Rick Kittles, African Ancestrys scientific director and University of Chicago associate professor of medicine, counters that his proprietary database is large enough for accurate testing. The DNA testing has led some African Americans to the newest frontier in connecting to the continent: dual citizenship. Anthony Archer, an adjunct political science professor at Cal State Dominguez Hills, is working to persuade African nations to extend citizenship to African Americans. The Detroit native said his parents had always nurtured a pride in their African heritage. His desire to reach out to Africa took off after his Jewish elementary school teacher told him about her peoples quest to return to their homeland and introduced him to the writings of Malcolm X, he said. For years, he spent weekends poring over genealogical records in search of his roots. In what he calls a life-altering experience, he took a DNA test last spring and was told he shared ancestry with the Tikar, Hausa and Fulani peoples in Cameroon. Elated if surprised he thought his roots were Ghanaian, based on his research Archer is writing a letter to the president of Cameroon requesting dual citizenship. He said the country has not yet considered the question for African Americans. Archer and other advocates said dual citizenship would help heal the lingering wounds of separation while offering both sides a chance to collaborate in trade and investment. With two passports, African Americans would enjoy greater rights in their ancestral country to own property, start businesses and travel freely, he said. (U.S. law does not bar Americans from acquiring other citizenships, a State Department official said.) African Americans are the richest Africans in the world, said Archer, 43. Africa can tap into us for our resources, and we can tap into them for our identities. Archer and Gregory Simpkins, a vice president of the Leon H. Sullivan Foundation, which seeks to build bridges between the U.S. and Africa, are working to promote dual citizenship with Benin, Ghana, Tanzania and others. In a 63-page proposal to African leaders at a Tanzanian summit last year, Archer advocated granting dual citizenship to African descendants if ancestral linkages could be shown through DNA tests. Ghana is the only African nation that clearly offers citizenship to African Americans, Archer said. Its right to abode law allows citizenship for those who live in the country for several years; Archer would like to see that requirement waived. Liberia, which was founded by freed American slaves, used to offer citizenship to African Americans but adopted a new constitution in 1986 that is less clear on the question, he said. In Sierra Leone, which made Washington a citizen, requests are decided on a case-by-case basis by a presidential commission; an ancestral linkage is not necessarily required. Cyrille Segbe Oguin, Benins ambassador to the United States, said African nations were pondering ways to accommodate the desire for dual citizenship. The West African nation took the first step toward reconciliation with African Americans a decade ago by apologizing for its part in the slave trade and hosting annual festivals to help nurture ties between the two sides. We want to repair the broken relations and see what we can do together, Oguin said. So far, however, Washington is one of the few African Americans who have received African citizenship in recent years. Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma granted it to Washington last fall because of his DNA test, his philanthropy and his celebrity, said Bockari Kortu Stevens, the nations ambassador to the United States. Stevens said Sierra Leone, which is emerging from a decade of brutal civil war, needed someone famous like Washington to improve its image. We need a celebrity to come out and say, Look, the war is over, its a peaceful country and there are lots of private sector investment opportunities, Stevens said. The African diaspora has reached out to the continent since the early 19th century, as Jamaican-born Marcus Garvey advocated a Back to Africa movement and freed American slaves established a colony in Liberia. The black consciousness movement of the 1960s also produced a renewed interest in connecting with Africa, said Earl Ofari Hutchinson, an African American commentator in Los Angeles. In addition to Obama and the popularity of DNA testing, the latest round of interest, Hutchinson and others said, is driven by factors including: increased affluence among African Americans, political stability in African nations such as Liberia and a new Africa Channel offered to 1.5 million households by Time Warner Cable. In recent years, Winfrey has built a school in South Africa. Rap superstar Shawn Jay-Z Carter has launched plans to build 1,000 water pumps throughout the continent. Comedian Chris Rock and his wife, Malaak Compton-Rock, have pitched in for schooling, basic needs and medical care for South African orphans and grandmother-led households. Robert L. Johnson, Black Entertainment Television founder, is building a $12-million, four-star beachfront resort in Liberia and has put together a $30-million private equity fund to aid Liberian entrepreneurs. In 2001, Bishop Charles E. Blake, pastor of the 22,000-member West Angeles Church of God in Christ, launched Save Africas Children, which has served 200,000 children with AIDS in 21 African countries. But smaller congregations are reaching out to Africa as well. Minister Tony Dunn of the 2,000-member Zoe Christian Fellowship of Whittier leads regular missions to Africa and said he is talking to three other Los Angeles-area black churches interested in launching them as well. Our focus was on civil rights in the 60s, Dunn said. Now that were progressing and getting better economically and socially, I believe were more open to our capacity to be mindful to others. For Washington, his DNA test led him to visit Sierra Leone for the first time in 2006. He said he was astonished that the faces of the people looked so much like his own relatives, and that the African landscape had shown up in his dreams. One of the walls in his Burbank office is covered with 15 photos documenting that trip: a boy hunting for clean water, a newborn near death in Washingtons arms and a child who had received plastic surgery. Other mementos include a harvest mask, a jar of Namibian soil and his chieftains hand-carved wooden staff. Since then, Washington has leaped into a flurry of activities. They include establishing his Gondobay Manga Foundation named after a heroic African warrior whose name was given to Washington at his 2006 chieftain induction ceremony. His Coalhouse Productions company is making a documentary about Sierra Leone. That same year, Washington spoke at a White House summit on malaria and last year he joined Sierra Leone President Koromas delegation to the United Nations and Washington. The actor believes that DNA has memory, that the calling to come home and help his people was embedded in his genes all along. I am who I was, Washington said. This doesnt negate the love I have for the United States, but my real parents are Sierra Leone. View LA TIMES column

Dual Citizenship in Ghana,

the real reason why Africans from the Diaspora don't have it.

We Africans born in the Diaspora have been waiting for Ghana to lead the way in Africa, by issuing the Dual Citizenship they promised. Instead what we get is more politricking and more excuses. The truth is this, there was only one African American granted citizenship in Ghana and he was given it directly from Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who when returning, invited several African Americans to join him, Dr. Lee was one. Since then, no African born in the Diaspora has received citizenship in Ghana, though a small number have received the Right of Abode. The sound is that if we, those who were sold into slavery, should be allowed to return home as full citizens, we might ultimately take over. Citizenship comes with the right to vote and the right to be voted for. Some point to the Liberia experiment, where in the 1800s America selected certain former slaves to be deported to Africa, with the intention of colonizing the continent and ruling it with a controlled version of the African. The experiment failed miserably, the deportees became the ruling class and lorded over their subjects like any well trained American would do. A bitter lesson to its neighbours and the reason why some in power argue that they shouldn't grant us citizenship. However, that point negates a few differences worth mentioning, namely: We are Repatriates, returning of our own volition, in our right mind and no longer slaves, physically or mentally. We have not been chosen by the establishment, rather we have been denied, thus we choose our own home. We represent a massive capital resource that wisely tapped can result in a significant source for employment for the next generation. We have every right to participate in the governing process of our homeland but very little interest in ruling it. We are far more interested in rebuilding our ties to the land and restoring families shattered in the hellacaust.

But they know this. So what's the problem? What are they really afraid of? Could it be that we Africans that have been thru the middle passage, slavery, Jim Crow, Willie Lynch, Reagan & Bush, frighten those in bed with that same establishment? Could it be that the fathers of our nations are more interested in maintaining their sweet deals with the oil barrens, gold rushers, and the chocolate sucking parasites that pay directly into their numbered accounts? Could it be that with our 'too know' selves we might come and open the eyes of the masses to the wide

ruling it with a controlled version of the African. The experiment failed miserably, the deportees became the ruling class and lorded over their subjects like any well trained American would do. A bitter lesson to its neighbours and the reason why some in power argue that they shouldn't grant us citizenship. However, that point negates a few differences worth mentioning, namely: We are Repatriates, returning of our own volition, in our right mind and no longer slaves, physically or mentally. We have not been chosen by the establishment, rather we have been denied, thus we choose our own home. We represent a massive capital resource that wisely tapped can result in a significant source for employment for the next generation. We have every right to participate in the governing process of our homeland but very little interest in ruling it. We are far more interested in rebuilding our ties to the land and restoring families shattered in the hellacaust.

But they know this. So what's the problem? What are they really afraid of? Could it be that we Africans that have been thru the middle passage, slavery, Jim Crow, Willie Lynch, Reagan & Bush, frighten those in bed with that same establishment? Could it be that the fathers of our nations are more interested in maintaining their sweet deals with the oil barrens, gold rushers, and the chocolate sucking parasites that pay directly into their numbered accounts? Could it be that with our 'too know' selves we might come and open the eyes of the masses to the wide spread mismanagement of their resources, the real value of their labor, the value of their crop, the value of their raw materials? Could it be because they think will we might spoil their party? Ah, the thought that we might seek justice not only for ourselves but for an entire nation of peoples being pillaged and exploited with no regard for their human right to the pursuit of happiness. Truth is Ghana government will not give up that passport any sooner than America will release the source of her strength. But what's new, freedom was never free! Let them bicker and banter about semantics if they want, we are who we are and we won't be denied, Africa for the Africans, at home and abroad.

+233-20-946-6408 ghanarepat@gmail.com 2000-2013

Dual Citizenship: Why Black Americans Should Obtain Citizenship in the Motherland
Why Dual Citizenship for African Americans?
Jay-Jamar, Yahoo! Contributor Network Oct 1, 2011 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here." MORE: Citizenship Flag Post a comment

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frameborder=0 scrolling=no></iframe> Of course information like this isn't readily available or even announced on a wide scale. The powers that be may seem to be more interested in releasing news reports on grim, dark and often irrelevant incidences around the world, in addition to the useless gossip about the entertainment world that holds no true value, nor helps toward progression of any person in the real world we live in today. Information on real and important issues, such as dual citizenship for African Americans must be sought out. It must be something already planted in the minds of the many blacks that consume the American soil in order for a step forward to transpire. Of course, with things preoccupying our minds, like bills, security and simply surviving, these thoughts on such important matters may never come about for African American people as a whole, which is why this article is in full dedication toward bringing awareness to and enlightening the minds of the masses. For many years now, political debates and scuffles have taken place on allowing dual citizenship for African Americans and their homeland. And Why not? Many other countries, including Europe (for many White Americans), China and even Israel (for many Jews) have already invoked such permissions a long time ago. Dual citizenship comes with many responsibilities. There are many benefits to having it, as well as many factors to be aware of with regard to it. So why would African Americans be at all be interested in such a thing? Benefits of Dual Citizenship for African Americans in Their Homeland For one, having citizenship period allows a person the right to vote, the right to partake in the political matters that affect their country of citizenship, while also allowing for things such as investing and economical growth. Dual citizenship for African Americans means that the many blacks living in America can now do business in their homeland. There are the advantages of buying and selling of land and property, living in the continent and perhaps most importantly, allowing black Americans to retrace their long lost roots and heritage in their homeland. There are currently quite a few countries within Africa that are partaking in allowing dual citizenship to expatriates, including South Africa and Ghana. There are stipulations of course within each of these countries that one must familiarize themselves with before applying, like being a South African resident for four years in South Africa. None the less, the overall perspective of obtaining dual citizenship for black Americans in their homeland is that of extreme significance when it comes to knowing "Who We Are". Right now, many other countries in Africa, one-by-one, are forming petitions to be signed by both Africans and African Americans for support of dual citizenship in these native homelands where none exists. Currently, Liberia is one of those countries under the persuasion. In January of this year, the president of Liberia-Ellen Johnson Sirleaf met with President Obama in the oval office for various talks of politics. Perhaps this dual citizenship legislation was amongst the many topics discussed, as our current president can most certainly relate. The American government as a whole, however, does not promote obtaining dual citizenship, although they cannot deny it. The fear is of true patriotism with other countries that may serve as a conflict of interest with the US. Never the less, an American citizen obtaining his or her citizenship in their native land cannot be stripped of their current US citizenship. So this leads to the question of "why not?" Why not obtain your natural citizenship to your homeland and become reacquainted with the heritage and rich history of your people, once lost some 400+ years ago? To obtain dual citizenship in any of the participating countries of Africa, one must fill out an application and meet the generic criteria of citizenship. Specific information regarding this can be found through contacting the consulate or embassy of the country. Further, one may need to also gather information from the country's department if immigration for further steps toward naturalization. In some cases, this application process can be done in its entirety right over the internet. There may be a fee in many cases, which is not at all unreasonable, and the process may take a few weeks or so as with any application processing. However, once citizenship has been granted, the reacquainted "Black" American can become familiarized once again, with their homeland heritage. They can partake in the many advantages of promoting economical, social and spiritual growth within their homeland as well as their current land of residence, and know that a sense of "Who we are" can no longer be stated in the form of a question. Gregory Simpkins Africa Rising 21st Century, Africa Rising 2010 James Butty US, Liberians Launch Dual Citizenship Petition Drive, voanews.com

The Dual Citizenship Bill was presented to Ghana's Parliament by Dr. Kwabena Adjei, the then Majority Leader of the House and Chairman of the Business Committee. The bill was the first of its kind in the history of Africa and it seeks among other innovations to provide for dual citizenship and grants the "right of abode" to Diasporan Africans. Under the law, a person may decide to acquire the citizenship of another nation in addition to his citizenship, and thereby become a dual citizen, if the citizenship laws of that nation would permit him/her to retain his/her existing citizenship. The legislative proposal also seeks to replace the Ghana Nationality Act 1971 (Act 361). Thanks to the many Ghanaian organizations in the Diaspora who lobbied for this legislation, and the Bi-Partisan support of the Ghanaian Parliament, the Dual Citizenship Act was launched on Wednesday, July 3rd 2002 by Dr. Kwame Addo-Kufour, the then acting Minister for the Interior. Even though this law is a one in the right direction, there are many things within the law that does not create favorable environment for Ghanaians living abroad to actively integrate back into their own country of birth, Ghana. This is a right that every Non-Resident Ghanaian who lost his/her Ghanaian nationality would seek and would fight for. This is why I felt and still feel amazed listening to that buffoonery, a faceless group of paid NPP government agents calling themselves the Diaspora Votes Committee (DVC). They claimed they are representing Ghanaians living abroad. They went around and still going around advocating for the passage and implementation of ROPAL without consulting Non-Resident Ghanaians (NRGS) across the political spectrum. To further insult the intelligence of the already suffering Ghanaian taxpayer, this selfish, arrogant and ignorant group of people is also advocating that Ghana borrows more money from donor nations to fund ROPAL. They are not ashamed that the donor nations already fund more than 40% of elections in Ghana. How can you implement a law like ROPAL, when Ghana government has no statistics of Ghanaians living abroad? It is called stupidity versus intelligence. Dual citizenship (also called dual nationality) occurs when a person is the citizen of two countries at the same time. This innovation, which changes the traditional notion of citizenship and belonging, has been on the rise since the last half of the 20th century with more and more states sanctioning and recognizing its potential. The emergence of globalization has facilitated the clearing of boarders of the world leading to more movement of people in the same way as the flow of capital investment, trade and cultural product across boarders. Advances in technological developments have also triggered affordable travel and global communication between peoples from one part of the globe to another, making immigrants in their receiving countries staying in closer contact with their families back in their countries of birth more than ever. Dual citizenship allows immigrants to easily integrate into their receiving countries if the necessary environment is created. It increases social, cultural and political participation in their new countries of resident. However, if the laws are stringent, complex and unfavorable as we see in the case of Ghana, it limits integration of Ghanaians returning home, Diasporian Africans that we intend to attract as well as people of other nations who will like to take advantage of our dual citizenship law. People will be reluctant to give up their citizenship of their new countries, as Ghana their own country of birth does not allow them to actively participate in decision-making. Many Ghanaians remain or become citizens of another country because of the advantages, including: employment opportunities entitlement to social programs, such as pensions property ownership unrestricted residency Currently under our Dual Citizenship Law among other things, no dual citizen of Ghana regardless of the persons qualification shall qualify to be appointed as a holder of any office specified as below: Chief Justice and Justices of the Supreme Court; Ambassador or High Commissioner; Secretary to the Cabinet; Chief of Defense Staff or any Service Chief; Inspector- General of Police; Commissioner, Customs, Excise and Preventive Service; Director of Immigration Service; Commissioner, Value Added Tax Service; Director- General, Prisons Service; Chief Fire Officer;

 Chief Director of a Ministry; A rank of a Colonel in the Army or its equivalent in the other security services; and Any other public office that the Minister may be legislative instrument prescribes. I was following the sittings of the Appointments Committee of the Ghanaian Parliament in the case of Ms. Vicky Bright, the Presidents nominee for Minister of State at the Presidency. Even though I do not condone her rude behavior towards the Committee neither can I understand the logical or common sense of President Kufours mentality to continue appointing so many ministers and special advisers, I was sadden by one fact that, we are using an otherwise law with good intentions in the wrong way. Ms. Bright whom I learnt is a qualified Senior Partner in a law firm in the UK is not qualified to hold position of trust in Ghana, her own country. Her crime, she at one time held a British citizenship. But I said wait a minute. Do you remember comical Sheik I.C. Quaye? That confused man of a village elder that went around blowing horns in his usual comedies trying to compare the incomparable, comparing President Kufour to the great Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. A man who cannot even find his school certificates in his single room. He cannot even remember the name of a single classmate of his at school. But this kind of man was qualified to be appointed as a Minister of State while qualified other Ghanaians such as Ms. Vicky Bright may be dumped because of the blind side of the law that was supposedly passed to help her. Even though dual citizenship (also called dual nationality) is not legally recognized in all countries, for example in Germany where I lived for many years, one needs to denounce his/her original citizenship to acquire German citizenship. You cannot hold both. On the other hand, Canada my new native land, does ask anyone to denounce his/her original citizenship as a condition to becoming a Canadian citizen. Canada promotes dual citizenship as an expression Canadas tolerance and multiculturalism. To Canada, citizenship means participating in the political processes such as voting, taking part in debates around election issues, standing for election, being appointed to positions of responsibility such as those mentioned as the no go areas in Ghanas law. Many Canadian-Ghanaians who landed here in Canada with Ghana passports through the proper channel have never at anytime in their lives lost their Ghanaian nationality. So why should such a Ghanaian be asked to seek Ghanaian visa before going to Ghana if he/she still has his/her Ghanaian passport in addition to his/her Canadian passport? And why are our Ghanaian authorities thinking it is an offence to use Ghanaian and Canadian passports interchangeable which makes that person liable on Summary conviction to a fine not exceeding 250 penalty units or a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year or to both? The million dollar question is if Canada, which is the receiving country, allows Ghanaians to do so and allows us to actively participate in all aspects of Canadian life while we are still Ghanaians, why should Ghana our country of birth for put such complex restrictions on her own peoples participation? How would you ask someone who has not denounced his/her Ghanaian citizenship as a condition to becoming a citizen of his/her new country to: Apply to the Hon Minister for the interior for the grant of Dual Citizenship? Purchase of Form 10 at the cost of $100 at the Ministry of the Interior or from a representative of the Ministry of the Interior in our Diplomatic Missions abroad? It is understandable in cases where some Ghanaians living in some countries have had to denounce their Ghanaian citizenship as a condition to taking on new citizenship. It is also understandable for Ghanaians who lost their citizenship due to claim of refugee status under different circumstances. But this condition certainly does not apply to anyone who still holds on to his/her Ghanaian citizenship in a receiving country that allows it. If the Ghana of government truly recognizes the understanding of citizenship in transnational terms and also recognizes the economic advantages and opportunities of the Non-Resident Ghanaians (NRGS), then there is the need to allow active participation of all Ghanaians within the legal framework of Ghana. I therefore, challenge the government of Ghana to truly implement the dual citizenship law to its total transnational meaning if she truly has the interest of her citizens abroad. Hiding behind politically explosive and divisive laws such as the ROPAL as an illustration of how the government of Ghana cares about her non-resident citizens is meaningless and an insult to Non-Resident Ghanaians. In the 1990s Ex-President Jerry Rawlings suggested that African-Americans should have the right to apply for Ghanaian citizenship while still holding onto their American citizenship. This gesture was seen as a symbol for reuniting African descents in the Diaspora with mother Africa even though we cannot prove that all African-Americans directly come from Ghana. Citizenship should mean, African-Americans could live, invest and help develop Ghana by actively participating in every aspect of the Ghanaian way of life. But as the law now stands, which literally means, bring your money but you are still a half or less than half a citizen would make many reluctant to take advantage of this law due to the limited participation of dual citizens. In July this year, I attended a Ghana House organized public forum here in Montreal. Her Excellency, Ghanas High Commissioner to Canada Dr. Margaret Ivy Amoakohene and her able assistants tried as they can to explain the procedure for acquiring dual citizenship. They stated security as one of the reasons why, Ghanaians renouncing their citizenship do not qualify to actively participate in politics or hold positions such as those mentioned above. But the question is in this area of globalization, where can you run to and be protected from crimes you committed in Ghana? Dual citizenship (even in case of Canada you can hold one or more nationalities) has been there since 1977. How come some of these security concerns Ghana fears so much never affected Canada? If we have to learn from people who have already done something; we need to do so by improving upon it other than trying to re-invent the wheel. For many Ghanaians in the Diaspora who lobbied for this law in the earlier 1990s, I believed they were guided by the fact that getting back their Ghanaian citizenship means having the right to actively participate in all aspects of the Ghanaian life and thereby bringing economic benefits and other developments to Ghana. They did not see it as a law that would only give less than half a Ghanaian and disconnect them from the remaining that truly defines their right as a Ghanaian citizen. I therefore call on our lawmakers and the government of Ghana to re-examine this law as a matter of urgency so as to providing limitless possibilities and advantages to all who wish to renounce their Ghanaian citizenship or seek Ghanaian citizenship. I also challenge part of the law that seeks to make people using their Ghanaian passports interchangeably with passports of their receiving countries liable on summary conviction. If I have never denounced my Ghanaian citizenship, I have the right to hold on to my Ghanaian passport and I will seek no visa when I visit Ghana neither do I need to apply for dual citizenship travel document. There is the need to distinguish between those who lost their citizenship and those never lost it in the first place. A blanket assumption is not the way forward. God Save Our Motherland. Charles N. Nkansah (nkansahc@yahoo.com Montreal, QC. Canada) email: nkansahc@yahoo.com
May I reprint this brother's post on African Americans and African Dual citizenship for "blacks" [NOTE: Before going any further into this interesting message, I must admit that I'm open to comments about the validity of all this ... at the end, they ask for a very small donation, but they don't say where it's going to...That said, please continue.] When you've finished reading this, there are two things you should do. First, tell every black man, woman and child you know and love about this. Mainstream American media have so far ignored this news. Second, sign the petition (link for petition here: thiscause.org/p/menu.php It only takes ten seconds, is secure and private, and it is just that important! And now... Not sure if you knew this, but the African Union--the African version of the European Union--has made a monumental decision and has decided to offer full dual citizenship to Black Americans in participating African countries of the African Union. Their aim, say union leaders, is to "tap into the technological expertise and education of Black Americans" to help solve the most daunting challenges facing Black Africa today. On the flip side, Black Americans will gain a long overdue true, legal connection to the African continent and their ancestral roots. Besides reconnecting to long severed genealogy, African Americans will gain a number of fringe benefits by seeking dual citizenship. Among other things, this will include the right to buy and sell land, the right to own and operate businesses, and the opportunity to take part in the political and legal processes of their second nation. As exciting as this may be, members of the AU who are drafting this proposal have been defining and redefining the language of the proposal for over four long years. In 2008, at the annual Leon H. Sullivan, Union leaders plan to unveil their first tentative plan that will define their vision of the dual citizenship proposal. There is an online petition at: thiscause.org/p/menu.php that will be printed and mailed in bulk by the thousands to the African Union before the summit in 2008. Show your support of the dual citizenship proposal to give African Americans dual citizenship in African Countries. Convince the African Union leaders that Black America wants dual citizenship in Africa and that it is time for the proposal to be turned into law. And let the resurrection of the great continent of Africa Begin. This is 400 years in the making, people. Black Americans have been suffering the psychological brain damage of severed ancestral ties to their true African roots for far too long. At the same time, much of Africa has been suffering from the deadly virus of colonization, poverty, and disease for longer than necessary. It is time we showed support for our once ancestral continent. For further info, explore the links and Sign the petition at: thiscause.org/p/menu.php -- copy and paste the link into your web browsers address bar. Links to proposal: 1. www.blackbritain.co.uk/news/details.aspx 2. www.globalpolicy.org/nations...ucit.htm 3. apnews.myway.com/article/2...03Q01.html 4. jurist.law.pitt.edu/papercha...nsider... Other related links: 1. African union Website: www.africa-union.org/ 2. Leon H. Sullivan Summit www.thesullivanfoundation.org/sum....asp 3. Tracing your roots with DNA test: www.usatoday.com/news/nati...ests_x.htm

But a DNA test she took recently showed strong similarities between Stump's genetic code and the Mende and Temne people of Sierra Leone, in Africa. Now, "I have a place where I can go back and say, 'This is who I am; this is my home,' " says Stump, 34, a homemaker and mother of six in Basalt, Colo. "That's something I never, ever expected to say."

Michael A. Schwarz, USA TODAY

As the descendants of slaves, black Americans have long faced huge obstacles to researching their family histories. However, advances in the use of DNA the cellular acid that determines physical characteristics and is inherited from one's parents are allowing African-Americans to connect with previously unknown ancestors. Some are using DNA to test the oral traditions that African-American families have relied on to transmit their histories. And in a 21st-century update of Alex Haley's 1976 novel Roots, others are seeking to match their DNA to the ethnic groups in Africa to which their ancestors might have belonged. For black Americans, however, there are some drawbacks. DNA evidence has confirmed some family stories but debunked many others. For example, most of the nine black celebrities who underwent genetic testing for the PBS documentary African American Lives believed they were part Native American. One of those tested, Oprah Winfrey, 52, says on the program that to many African-Americans in her generation, being "a little Indian" was desirable. The two-part documentary, which began running this week, says genetic testing revealed that only two of the nine celebrities tested Winfrey and comedian-actor Chris Tucker likely had Native American ancestors. The new wave of genealogical testing also has reopened one of America's ugliest wounds by confirming with science what historians have contended for generations: In slavery times and beyond, large numbers of black women were impregnated by white slave owners or other white men in positions of power. About 30% of black Americans who take DNA tests to determine their African lineage prove to be descended from Europeans on their father's side, says Rick Kittles, scientific director of African Ancestry, a Washington, D.C., company that began offering the tests in 2003. Almost all black Americans whom Kittles has tested descended from African women, he says. That's partly why genetic genealogy is "not for the faint-hearted," says Melvyn Gillette, a member of the African American Genealogical Society of Northern California and a longtime family researcher. "Before you go opening any door, you need to ask, 'Am I really ready for what might be behind it?' " Gillette says. "Not everyone is." Tracing patterns, finding links Each person's DNA is unique, but some DNA patterns remain relatively unchanged within families as well as within ethnic and geographical groups. Genetic genealogy tracks those types of DNA.
GENETIC GENEALOGY'S PRICE TAG
For a fee, several commercial laboratories and public research programs will test DNA and search the results against databases that contain DNA characteristics of people from around the world: Company/ program Tests performed Paternal and maternal lines, specializing in links to Africa Paternal line Ancestry percentages Cost starts at $349 $138 $219

African Ancestry DNA Heritage DNAPrint Genomics

Family Tree DNA

Paternal and maternal lines, including Native $129 American lineages Paternal and maternal lines Paternal and maternal lines, testing for Native American lines Paternal and maternal lines $320

Oxford Ancestors

Relative Genetics

$95

National Geographic

$99.9 5

Websites linked to company/programs. Source: USA TODAY research

One test examines markers of DNA on the Y chromosome, which passes virtually unchanged from fathers to sons. Another test uses mitochondrial DNA, which children of both sexes get from their mothers. Such tests allow DNA researchers to go back in time to confirm paternal and maternal lines, or to debunk them. By tracing tiny DNA mutations, researchers can link a living donor to a group in Africa that shares those DNA patterns. A separate test analyzes inherited mutations to estimate an individual's ethnic makeup: European, African, East Asian, Native American or a combination. Genetic genealogy has been pushed forward by a "significant increase" in data that can be searched online, says Scott Woodward, director of the Sorenson Molecular Genealogy Foundation in Salt Lake City. That enables test-takers to compare results with people descended from the same families or ethnic groups. The tests, available through about a dozen commercial labs and non-profit groups, are increasingly popular. Kittles, who is of African ancestry, says his company has sold more than 4,000 tests at $349 apiece since it opened in 2003. Bruce Jackson, a geneticist at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, says the African-American DNA Roots Project he co-founded in 2001 has been "swamped" by African-Americans who have volunteered samples to aid historical research. Afrigeneas, a website on black American genealogy, recently added a discussion forum on DNA research, webmaster Valencia King Nelson says. The tests that seek to match the DNA of a living black person to samples from African groups have touched a chord with African-Americans who had thought they would never know much about their distant forebears. "You sit with (white) folks who say, 'My family goes back to County Cork, (Ireland)' or, 'My family goes back to Sicily,' " actress Whoopi Goldberg says in African American Lives. "And you say, 'Umm, I don't know, I think Florida.' " Testing commissioned by the program found that Goldberg was related to the Pepel and Bayote people, who live near the Atlantic Coast in GuineaBissau. Anita Wills of Oakland used DNA testing to confirm an old family story and to discover dozens of relatives on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Wills searched her paternal DNA against one of the increasing number of databases maintained by genealogy organizations and hobbyist groups. She confirmed what she had long believed: Her ancestors included a white planter in 18th-century Virginia. She also found "DNA cousins" families with the same genetic pattern in England, Ireland, Wales and Russia. "I knew our family's history was complex, but I really had no idea," Wills says. "DNA showed me." Melvin Collier, a graduate student at Clark Atlanta University, suspected from his family's oral history that a great-grandfather on his father's side had been a white slave owner. So he had DNA from his mother's side of the family tested instead. Collier was delighted to learn that it matched the profile of the Mbundu people of Angola. Collier knew a Mbundu who lived in Atlanta and who invited him to an Angolan celebration. There, Collier says, he was encouraged to get up and dance "for the family." Collier says he's "not much of a dancer," and was unfamiliar with Angolan music, but he says he obliged, to loud applause. In Catonsville, Md., DNA tests helped Angela Walton-Raji confirm stories of a Native American ancestor that she had been told as a child.

Wills searched her paternal DNA against one of the increasing number of databases maintained by genealogy organizations and hobbyist groups. She confirmed what she had long believed: Her ancestors included a white planter in 18th-century Virginia. She also found "DNA cousins" families with the same genetic pattern in England, Ireland, Wales and Russia. "I knew our family's history was complex, but I really had no idea," Wills says. "DNA showed me." Melvin Collier, a graduate student at Clark Atlanta University, suspected from his family's oral history that a great-grandfather on his father's side had been a white slave owner. So he had DNA from his mother's side of the family tested instead. Collier was delighted to learn that it matched the profile of the Mbundu people of Angola. Collier knew a Mbundu who lived in Atlanta and who invited him to an Angolan celebration. There, Collier says, he was encouraged to get up and dance "for the family." Collier says he's "not much of a dancer," and was unfamiliar with Angolan music, but he says he obliged, to loud applause. In Catonsville, Md., DNA tests helped Angela Walton-Raji confirm stories of a Native American ancestor that she had been told as a child. "I knew it was true in my heart," says Walton-Raji, who researched her ancestry through paper records for 20 years. But "with DNA, there's no denying it." Surprises and disappointments Test results can be surprising to whites as well. Mark Shriver, a white geneticist at Penn State University who helped develop the test that detects multiple ethnic backgrounds, learned his background was about 11% West African. "People have multiple ancestries," Shriver says. "I don't have to just say that. I'm proof." Using DNA to pursue ancestry has not been a positive experience for every black American who has tried it. In Oakland, a member of Melvyn Gillette's amateur genealogical group was crushed to learn that her line of male ancestors traced back to a white Italian, and not a black resident of Madagascar as she had expected. "She couldn't get past it," Gillette says. "She ordered more tests." At African Ancestry, an unhappy customer peppered company President Gina Paige with emails after DNA testing of his male line indicated that he had descended from a white man. "He was especially upset that (the ancestor) was German," she recalls. "More so than white, he had a problem with being even a little bit German." Kittles, the company's scientific director, says new customers now are counseled about the potential impact of unwanted results. African Ancestry's application form permits customers whose male line DNA does not match any known African groups to forgo further testing. Most of those customers, Kittles says, ask the company to go forward and to tell them whether it finds a match to a non-African lineage. For African-Americans accustomed to tracing family histories through conventional means, DNA can upset long-held conclusions. Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr., host of the PBS documentary and chairman of African and AfricanAmerican studies at Harvard University, used court documents, family records and slave rental agreements to trace his family back to Maryland in the mid-1700s. To test his family's oral history that it was descended from a freed slave and her former owner Gates found the former slave owner's white descendants in Maryland and California. Their paternal line DNA was compared with Gates'. If all three had descended from the same man, the DNA sequences on their Y chromosomes should have matched. They didn't. The white slave owner was not Gates' great-great grandfather after all. Gates was shocked. Then, a follow-up test on DNA from his mother's side carried more unexpected news. The Harvard professor had a white maternal ancestor, too. Gates concluded that he is probably 50% white. "I'll never see my family tree in quite the same way," Gates says on the PBS program. "I have the blues. Can I still have the blues?" Genetic genealogy has begun to attract critics. Jackson, the geneticist and co-founder of the DNA Roots Project, says claims that DNA sequences can be traced to specific African groups are "cruelly misleading." "Nigeria alone has 261 recognized ethnic groups," he says. "You'd have to test them all, and then you'd only be at the beginning." However, Peter Forster, a geneticist at the University of Cambridge in England, says public and private databases that date to 1981 now contain more than 35,000 samples of DNA, more than enough in most cases to provide accurate "geographical and tribal information." Terry Melton, president of Mitotyping Technologies in State College, Pa., and a specialist in mitochondrial DNA, worries that tests that focus only on DNA from a mother or father's line can give a distorted view of a family's history. "You can be 31/32 black, but if that 32nd ancestor is white you could show up as white, too," she says. "That can be very confusing." For amateur genealogists such as Joe Madison, the value of DNA-based research far outweighs any of its shortcomings. "The connection to the homeland was deliberately broken by slavery," says Madison, who has discussed genetic genealogy on the black-oriented talk show he hosts on XM Satellite Radio. "Now, after all this time, that chain has been soldered together by science," Madison says. "Being part from Sierra Leone, part from Mozambique, that's something I can pass on to my children. And that's what it's all about."