Friday, January 29, 2010

We Are Family Even If We're Still Not Yet Post Racial In America


Thought I'd change up a bit and post a topic to take our minds off of what's really going on around us. Sometimes it is nice to change up every once in a while and forget about politics, social issues, and other issues that face us today. It's sort of like a breathe of fresh air.

Today, I happen to run across an article stating that President Barack Obama and the newly elected Senator Scott Brown are related. That might come as a surprise to some people but not me. What people fail to realize is that if you dig back far enough and do a thorough job of it you'd be surprise who all is in your family tree; some might even be surprised to find out that we are all connected by blood some where down the line in the past. Some might even find out that they are not in the racial group that they believe they are in. I've witnessed many people leaving in shock, tears, and border line mental breakdown from genealogy respositories after finding out the truth about family. Those employed in genealogy respositories will tell you that it happens all the time.

Genealogy research has been a passionate hobby of mine since the late 1980s. It has been quite an adventure to me as well as an eye-opening learning experience. In my search, I've dugged through old dusty court house records, visited libraries, searched through thousands of census, military records, marriage, birth, death, and baptism records. My search has included combing through old newspapers, and every single record pertaining to genealogy. I've collected many pictures dating back to the 1800s of family members.

Doing genealogy research can be tedious at times,frustrating, painstaking, but it is rewarding. A person could learn about human behavior, customs, culture, history, politics, economics, anthropology, social science all wrapped in one big bundle. The many interesting discoveries along the way may stir up a variety of emotions that make for a good movie or book. Nevertheless, in the end, it is well worth all the time, money, frustration, and work put in to it.

“A man without history is like a tree without roots.”~~Marcus Garvey~~

There is also an old saying that a man without history is like a man without a soul. If you know where you come from, you know where your going. It is not a good thing
to let your family history die because without it you are like an endangered species that becomes extinct.

After searching my families history, I made quite a few shocking discoveries myself regarding who all is in my family tree. Nonetheless, I won't divulge that information in this topic because my cousins and I are working on a book. It's strange how genealogy can bring about some deep revelations,uncover deep dark secrets of the past, and is rich in history. Genealogy research will uncover some stunning truths regarding blood tie connections that tend to revolve into a circle from state to state with tangled up branches that entwine with each other. Not only that, those branches stretch out from the homes of the rich spilling into the homes of the poor,across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans into foreign countries, crosses color barriers, and nationalities.

It has been discovered that we all have one common ancestor in Africa, but what people fail to realize is that here in America that common ancestry still lingers on whether we like it or not or want to admit it or not.

7 comments:

BigmacInPittsburgh said...

And the truth shall set you free!

Anonymous said...

Granny I received your E-MAIL, this is a good Topic, my family is mixed with Irish and Indian and it show's too, my people root's are from New Orlean's and Lousiana, my Mother was dark skninned with beautiful wavy hair! and I had a aunt that was light skinned with beautiful wavy hair, they both had the same father, I was told he looked like a white man, well, you know how it was back then!

I am going to read about the President and Scott BROWN, I remember during the campaign, remember when Michelle gave her speech after BARACK won over Hillary, they showed the President at a White Family's home, well, he looked very comfortable sitting on the couch, it was as if he had close tie's to the people!

ISEEISEE

Black Diaspora said...

"I've witnessed many people leaving in shock, tears, and border line mental breakdown from genealogy respositories after finding out the truth about family. Those employed in genealogy respositories will tell you that it happens all the time."

I'm thinking, Granny, about how future generations will handle knowledge of their genealogy.

In today's culture where blogs abound, and the Internet keeps information almost indefinitely, and there's YouTube and video morgues and vaults--future generations may not have to do too much digging to unearth things about family members they'd rather keep hidden.

How would a future family member process a family member who was a member of the "birthers," or seen marching with "teabaggers" holding signs of President Obama (this nation's first black president) as Hitler, or the Joker?

And what if you're member of Glenn Beck's family, or Hannity's, or some other right-wing nutbar?

There's gonna be a lot of embarrassed people in 2050 when all that's going on now is looked back on with the ease we now experience turning on a television, and remote controlling our way to our favorite channel.

GrannyStandingforTruth said...

Amen BigMac!

IseeIsee, I can relate to what you're saying. My own family is mixed with so many different groups until I wouldn't even know where to begin to tell you. :)

Diaspora:

Hmmm...that never crossed my mind. That's a good one. I wouldn't mind witnessing a future generation in Hannity and Beck's family reaction. It will probably be one of those family secrets that they'll want to keep buried forever if possible.

Roderick said...

This shouldn't be a surprise since we already know that Obama is related to Cheney, Bush and Evan Byah to name a few.

Obviously Obama's mother's family goes back to the Mayflower so you know he's related to most of the white folks in America.

Anonymous said...

Granny did you read what I said about the (President sitting on that couch surrounded by White Folk) he looked Very comfortable! it was as if he had a personal relationship with the people, he was sitting back as if he was at home, and the thing is, the President was raised around white people half his life before he Really began to embrace his Black side, but, that was not his Fault! his father just was NOT in the Picture as he should have been at that time!

I don't know about Scott Brown, but, something is going on, it was as if he came out of the BLUE! I am waiting for everything to come to FRUITION! it was as if the DEMOCRAT'S allowed this man to WIN the ELECTION! and now, we find out he is RELATED to the President!

Black Diaspora, when I see Young White REP/CON on TV, THEY SCARE ME! they are trying to keep that OLD Embedded RACISM intact! Conservative's want to Conserve! they don't want to change NOTHING! did you notice most of the men that were Attempting to CALL the President OUT, were basically YOUNG! our young people better get it together and start paying attention!

Oh, and some of those Old Racist politician's from the South, well, some of their Grand kid's are running for different Political position's! and NO, they are not DEMOCRAT'S!

iseeisee

Black Diaspora said...

"Black Diaspora, when I see Young White REP/CON on TV, THEY SCARE ME! they are trying to keep that OLD Embedded RACISM intact! Conservative's want to Conserve! they don't want to change NOTHING!"

IseeIsee, I'm sure they'd like to roll the clock back to the halcyon days of white supremacy, but we have a black president, now, and nothing, and I mean nothing, is ever going to erase that image seared, and etched, for all times, in the American psyche.

Just think: Each day they have to awake to this new reality; they have adjust to this new paradigm shift; they have swallow what's on their plate, and not regurgitate, because nothing's going to change what happened.

This country will never be the same again. And if some attempt a civil war, it will be a black man, as commander-in-chief, who will suppress it.

Their only hope is to embrace this new reality, and make the best of it. This nation's demographics has changed radically.

It's one of the reasons I believe that Repubnigants are opposed to a census head count this time around: It will reveal populations trends that they're not comfortable with, but have no way of controlling, or changing.