The picture above is of the Atlantic Ocean which is entirely appropo for what I am about to write.
I have watched (off and on) the 30th Anniversary showing of Roots and Roots: The Next Generations and it has driven me mad. Okay, not quite mad, but it has driven me to search my bookshelves and find the blue notebook labeled with my "family" names on either cover (my mother's on the front; my father's on the back).
Watching the last scenes of RTNG, and watching JEJ/Alex Haley cry when he finally knew who he was as his relative called him Mr. Kinte. I realized yet again, that I also, wanted to know who I am. Not just want to know, I need to know.
So I pulled out that notebook and went over my papers and last night, I began collecting telephone numbers for the older people in my family and tonight, I plan to start interviewing those people. I need to know who I am.
After some thought, I realized I did not need to know everything. How sad is that? I want to know who my mother's mother's (and so on) family is and where they are from, so much so that I just spent $359 on African Ancestry to find out. I am not so much concerned with my mother's father's family, though I may eventually one day look this up as well.
I am not concerned about my father's mother's family at all, though I suspect that she is of Ghanian lineage. My father's father is Native American, and one day, I will submit the DNA test to find out which tribe we are from. But right now, knowing my mother's mother's lineage is the most important thing, because my mother's mother's family is my family (which in a way, makes me suspect they may too be Ghanian).
In a couple of months, I'll know.
More to come.
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