Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Check out Obama Descendant Of African Slave, According To Genealogy Research

The New York Times has a longer article on it.  Some excerpts:

"Its team, while lacking definitive proof, said it had evidence that "strongly suggests" Mr. Obama's family tree — on his mother's side — stretches back nearly four centuries to a slave in colonial Virginia named John Punch."
...
""I consider myself Caucasian, but I find that my mixed-race roots go way back," said Mark Bunch, who administers the Bunch family project.
Mr. Bunch, 53, the finance director for a community hospital in the agricultural town of Othello, in eastern Washington State, learned of the project several years ago from a cousin. He bought a home DNA test kit, swabbed the inside of his cheek three times and sent it off for analysis. What came back — a genetic blueprint that included sub-Saharan African roots — surprised Mr. Bunch."

For me, the insinuation of the longer piece is that there are many white people in the US who don't realize that they are descendants of African slaves.  I don't see that as a knock on Obama, just a statement on how complex the US's history is: e.g., white descendants of an African slave fighting for the Confederacy because they are unaware of their roots, if the article is to be believed.  Echoes of Nella Larsen's Passing.

Lola


From: kenneth harrow <harrow@msu.edu>
To: usaafricadialogue@googlegroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 3:03 AM
Subject: Re: USA Africa Dialogue Series - Check out Obama Descendant Of African Slave, According To Genealogy Research

in my opinion, scurrilous and propagandistic nonsense ought to be ignored.
to discuss is to provide them with value, which they don't have
ken


On 7/31/12 9:38 AM, Osiadi@aol.com wrote:
 
I am sure we know the insinuation of this so-called discovery. First he was supposed not to have been born in America. Second he is now a descendant of an African slave. What will be next? All because of election 2012.  Kunirum Osia
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--   kenneth w. harrow   distinguished professor of english  michigan state university  department of english  east lansing, mi 48824-1036  ph. 517 803 8839  harrow@msu.edu
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