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In last year's post, "The Pain of Not Knowing Who You Are,"  I discussed what it felt like as an African American to have had the memory of the people that we descend from taken from us:

"A feeling that I had subconsciously repressed came rushing forward uncontrollably.  A pain so severe and very deep had me so astonished that I could not articulate it.  I knew that it had been with me for as long as I could remember, but somehow I had not experienced it so."

That pain was eased by the results of the DNA analysis that I had done.  Of course it does not provide the names or faces of the forebears whom I long to become acquainted with, but there is further testing that I can do through African Ancestry where I will learn more.

I am grateful to Stephanie Wilson for the features on her BlogTalkRadio Show earlier this year:

Listen to internet radio with Stephanie Wilson on Blog Talk Radio

Listen to internet radio with Stephanie Wilson on Blog Talk Radio

In the meantime, I have had some great experiences getting to know what my ancestors may have been like through researching their children.  I have been able to discern that in some cases my divine mission in life and philosophies line up and are directly parallel to great aunts and uncles.  I have vowed not to overlook them just because they are collateral lines.

This commitment on my part has forged a bond between me and people a few generations before me whom I never met, but feel guided by.  My great uncle, Rev. Clarence Chick, taught the children in the family three simple things:  "Read your Bible. Study your Negro history.  Save your money."

These are three simple pieces of advice given to babes on their level that I have discovered came from someone who was a college professor of economics and American history. See "Vital speeches of the day."  His speeches have been published in scholarly publications.

When I began this journey, I did not start it simply for my own benefit.  I wanted to learn the principles that helped our ancestors over troubled water so that I could share them with you.  The principles that Uncle Clarence taught were the same for which I have been seeking.  What amazes me so is that he loved Africa as well and often spoke on what we could do to help Africa.

I am today another one of his students even though he has long passed away.  I feel his presence.  He has guided me to his writings.  I want my African brothers and sisters to know that this past year has been tough.  Please forgive my absence.  I have not forsaken you.  I will review my uncle's counsel to Africans of the Diaspora, and I will continue to fulfill my responsibility with the power in me to help in the work of bridge building.

My contributions will be in the form of sharing information here and networking.  I welcome your stories and any history of our homeland that you can share.  We cannot be made whole without you.

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What I am Learning From Lost African Heritage 

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We must present our history and our images to our children. We simply cannot wait for someone else to do this or to do it correctly.  If our children could see themselves in other great descendants of the African Diaspora and those Ancients from who we descend, they would be inspired to stand and take their place as well in the annals of history.

Join host, Robin Foster, as we discuss this topic tonight on Over Troubled Water Blog Talk Radio at 8PM EST.  Call in number:  (424) 625-8247 and press on to join the conversation.  Be sure to sign in to join us in the chat room:  How True History Will Inspire Your Child to Learn.

Image via WikipediaI received an email last Friday letting me know that my DNA sample had been received.  I felt the anticipation of the results heighten within me. The six to eight week wait will be hard.  While I read over the email, tears started streaming down my face, and they were not tears of joy.

A feeling that I had subconsciously repressed came rushing forward uncontrollably.  A pain so severe and very deep had me so astonished that I could not articulate it.  I knew that it had been with me for as long as I could remember, but somehow I had not experienced it so.

So why was I feeling the full weight of it then?  Where was it coming from?  I wanted it go away.  I wanted to push it back to where it had been lying dormant, but I really think someone wanted me to analyze it so that I could understand there are others who carry it unknowingly.  There are those who carry it and have not been hindered to the degree it has effected me, and there are others whose lives have been destroyed by it unawares.

All I could do was to utter a prayer for guidance. The answer came quickly.  "This is what it feels like to not know where you come from."  In my mind, I answered, "But I know I am a child of God."  Then the reply came that it was not by design that I or anyone should move through this life not knowing who our ancestors are or where they came from.

Image via WikipediaI was told that I had been shielded from the pain, and I was being shown what that pain felt like.  I was told that it was a gift being granted to me to know the places where my ancestors originated.  For me, I could look forward with hope and I would not carry this pain any longer even subconsciously.

However, many have this subconscious pain, and it is destroying their lives.  It was never intended that they should experience  the removal of their heritage, and it was never intended that they should know what it felt like to live in a place where they were not accepted wholeheartedly.

I felt the pain surface of what it feels like to have your heritage, your history, the knowledge of who you are, and the knowledge of where you have come from taken away. I felt the pain of what it feels like to have the blood of ancestors run through me whose descendants would be hesitant to claim me.  I felt the pain of being able to document them so extensively and not the ones for whom my genetic makeup signifies I am.

When my results come in, I am anxious to know from what part of Africa I am from, but I claim the whole continent.  I will be able to study the pre-1800 history and understand the contributions of my forebears and their existence before American chattel slavery.  I may never know their names in this life, but this connection will bring me one step closer to who I am. I will be able to discover living people who carry the same mitochondrial DNA.

As hope restored and the pain subsided, I thought of how my family will be blessed by this gift.  Then I wondered, am I reaching others who carry this pain?  Who is most effected by it?  Perhaps it's our youth who struggle and have lost their way.  I feel a sense of responsibility because I escaped the paths they now trod mostly because of Divine Intervention.  I want to reach those suffering because they do not know who they are.  If you do not fall in that category, then please let us continue to search out and help those who do.

Purchase here

You will not want to miss tonight's episode of Over Troubled Water Blog Talk Radio.  Author, Don S. McClure will join us to tell us about his book, Broken Wings Fallen Angels, which I feel is one of the best applications of family history, faith, and conversion that I have seen.  I enjoyed it, and I feel this book should be placed in the hands of every young African American male to help him in his quest to find himself notwithstanding all the challenges he faces.

This is a portion of the prologue of Broken Wings Fallen Angels:

     "As you travel through these pages, I will reveal to you my issues of self-determination and how I discovered what it is I wanted out of life. Equally important are the dreams and aspirations that took me there. It is also the story of the examination of the commitment to purpose that drove me to succeed, and the betrayal of good decisions that brought me down to my lowest points. The issues of diversity, cultural bias and the racism I faced in my personal as well as corporate life also play a strong role in this tale. You will become aware of the trials and tribulations that filled many days, months and years on my road to successful realization of the value of my creative talent and the gifts God has given me in order to become triumphant.  From my birth to my adventures you will pass through various doors with many names, dates and places. The results will be amazing at some moments, while in the next there will be sadness and pain. Through it all, I can only hope you find your own self-value. But this much I do know, in the end you can only become what you have inside."

                                                                                                                     Don S. McClure


Don's triumph and book fits in well with tonight's topic, "Teaching Family History Strengthens Youth."  Please join our discussion  at 8PM EST.  Log in to participate with us in the chat room or listen by computer online.  If you want to speak to our guest or ask a question, call (424) 675-8247 and press 1.

Learn more:
The Don S. McClure Show
DSM Publications

Too much wasted time

Philadelphia Police Department

See About 50 teens arrested for violating earlier Philly curfew meant to curb violent youth mobs.

A sense of duty

At Amazon

Don McClure

We will also be hearing from author of Broken Wings Fallen Angels, Don McClure.  Broken Wings Fallen Angels is a true story about his life and family history. His book is available at Amazon.