Black British Family History Research and Identity

Black and mixed race people have a rich ancestral heritage, which, over the generations, they know less and less about. DNA testing has now led people to want to investigate the missing links between their Caribbean and African ancestors. In Ghanaian Akan mythology, the symbol of Sankofa - ‘Go Back and Fetch It’, meaning It is not wrong to go back for that which you have forgotten.  This symbol represents the need to reflect on the past, to build a successful future. Researchers can investigate records through various archives, each of which can present ethical dilemmas. How do these findings impact on people researching their family tree now? This session will reflect on the speaker and her mixed race children experiences of ethnicity as a case study, including comparison of ethnicity DNA results, expressed identity, and narratives.