For US ABers, would it worry you if you found out you had black ancestry?
by 
singwell-is off researching a lot
ANSWERS: 52
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It wouldn't worry me, because I'm white now. It would have no effect on me. If my ancestors were black, so be it. Why should I worry?
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I can't even contemplate why anyone would be "worried".
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no, can you explain why it would or should cause worry?
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well considering I am black, and my dad came straight from africa, I already know. But I'm proud and respectful of my all my ancestry which breaks into germany, poland, haiti, cuba, and then ghana. I think unless there's some kind of issue you have with "your own" kind of people, it sounds kind of ethically wrong to be worried about being a specific ethnicity or race, and to me frankly I would be offended If someone was 'worried' abotu having black ancestry. But, i'm not a fighter i'm a lover so, that's all i have to say
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The assumptions in this question are multiple. I wouldn't rate you down because I don't think you meant to be offensive, but it all around just isn't a good question.
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What has your ancestry got to do with it? I am who i am, having black ancestry would not make me a different person
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No - only that my seriously racist relatives would have heartaches. I don't worry about anything my ancestors did, who they were or what they looked like (with the exception of genetic curiousity for health reasons. Some traits and proneness to certain illness are genetic).
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no I'm sure I do and indian ancestry. Crap right now I have 3 half black cousins love them just the same here is one of them
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Not at all. I have a black aunt, but she's not blood related to me. I always thought she was though when I was a kid. It never bothered me then, so I don't see why it would now.
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Worried? I would be proud that I had some more ethnicity in me. Worry about being black is being racist.
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No, in fact, I wouldn't even be surprised. I'm such a mix of everything that I don't doubt that someone back through the generations was black. And I definitely wouldn't be worried. I'm not quite sure why it would worry me.
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it might surprise me a bit, but i'd be proud none the less ;) we're all from central or south africa any way depending on which scientist you talk to ;)
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Not at all. Actually, it would make me wish that I could go back in time, meet them, and exchange stories of our pasts and their future.
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I'm a US citizen and not from the US. I had my green card and I can't even imagine my family coming from a black ancestry (no offense to those who are black). I'm not African-American. I'm Asian.
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Nope. We've always assumed that we did as we have some Cherokee ancestry. The Cherokee adopted quite a few slaves and runaway slaves into their tribes. A few years ago, my aunt tested positive for the sickle cell gene, so now it's official.
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It would surprise me since my family is basically just off the boat, but it would not bother me at all. My favorite great uncle is half black (my grandmother's half brother). The color makes no difference, he is just the nicest of them all.
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It would not bother me, but I would be surprised since I know my ancestors were from European countries and I have seen photos of my great-grandparents taken in the 1880's.
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nope. it would be kinda weird seeing as how i have some 'serious racist' kin. but i would be perfectly happy with it. :)
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I would not be upset about it, I would like to trade my Russian heritiage for Black any day. I am very pale and could use some color.
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I have know not much about my ancestry, and couldn't care less, really. If I found out I had black blood or whatever, I'm not sure how that would make one 'worry,' but who my relatives were and what they've done hundreds of years ago has absolutely no impact on today. Much the same, in 200 years from now, if someone said to someone "Hey, does it worry you that some relative of yours was this moron Simply99 from AnswerBag in the early 2000s?" they'd probably (probably) be like "Who? Whatever, man."
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No..
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I probably do... As my family gave safe haven to slaves up north in Rhode Island (and that area) after they ran to freedom from the South. We all get mixed up in the throes of things in the end. I bet everyone has some color in them... Even the biggest loud mouthed back woods rednecks have some somewhere im sure. We are all people!
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It'd be really, really surprising, because I know I've seen pictures up to three generations back and we're all Whitey McWhiterson. After the surprise, it'd probably be reassuring, actually-- while you really can't use a 1% blackness to claim you aren't racist, you could use it to dispute your family being racist.
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I'd be thrilled, but I'm sure that most of my family would not be. This is because most of the people in my family are mildly to moderately racist. I've liked black men before, ones whose characters were better than any white men I've dated. But I couldn't ask them out, because my father and my grandparents would have a fit.
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No. I'd not care at all.
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Not at all; I wouldn't be surprised either. I'm an absolute mutt. My ancestors couldn't afford slaves or servants, but they still had their fun...
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No. I'd be glad.
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Worried? No. Interested? Yes.
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Not unless they were the "thugs" I have to sometimes deal with here on the streets of Seattle.
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No, it wouldn't worry me. It would intrigue me and I would want to find out more about my distant family.
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No. Shocked, maybe, as I am among the whitest people I know. Should I be worried???
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Not in the least. Why should I worry? It would have no real effect on my life, I don't think. It would be interesting. I guess if you go back far enough, everyone has black ancestry.
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I'm a black man. It would worry me if I found out that somehow in a freakish way I didn't.
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I have thoroughly been through my history, no one of African origins, just plenty of Native Americans and a mix of Irish and Germans. If there was, I would just want to know about him or her. I the color of the skin wouldn't be any more or less offensive than any other skin tone, I just want to know the man/woman. What can I learn about them to better understand them? What did they do, where were they from? Those sorts of things.
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It wouldn't make any difference.
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that is a common joke in my family. I am adopted so do not know my genetics, but my apearance is generic white guy. we joke that my whitemans fro is because of black ancestory. my wife jokes about another feature in private.
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I do have black ancestory. I'm part of a group called the black Irish. I don't feel like explaining it, but here's a link if you wish to know more... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Irish
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I do. It only bothers me because of the sickle cell trait that is apparently carried in our family. I was lucky enough to avoid it, but other family members carry it.
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Of course not. What would be the problem with that?
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I am a blue eyed blond haired mut. I was raised alongside a black girl hwo had white parents and brothers ( it was really very similiar to the pretend different strokes situation) It was late into middle school before I realized that wasn't natural and that it upset people. As it turns out I am part Black (not for the right reasons - ancesters owned slaves), part Sioux, and part every european kind of ansestry their is. My wife has been irritated with me before because "Your can't be a little of everything." Point is a little while ago a muslim co-worker (from palestine) pointed out to me that everything I have accomplished is because I am a "Blues haired blond haired tall male" That comment ticked me off and worried me abit - even though it might be true - I welcomed the idea of black ancestrey - it doesn't show on me though.
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No, I'm called white but I'm really kinda beige.
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Everyone on this planet has black ancestry. Gotta go wayyyyyyyy back though, for some of us.
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Nope!
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No, I already know there is at least one branch of the family with black ancestry. There is also possibly some Jewish ancestry in there too. It is just part of being of the family of God. He loves us all.
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It wouldn't worry me... oh wait... I'm black though.
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I am black and still worry about it.LMAO!!
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Not at all, I would embrace my ethnicity with honor.
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No :)
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We all have black ancestry. Anthropologists have found genetic links originating in Africa, which spread to Europe, Middle East, Asia, and even the Americas. The skin and bone structural differences are miniscule, once you look at the bigger picture, painted by DNA.
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no. what my ancestors did then wouldn't worry me now, being a certain colour doesn't change who you really are, you can't blame your faults which made yourself on the colour of your ancestors; you should be ashamed if you do.
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Uh ... no. What on earth would worring about something that happened in the past accomplish?
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No, I'm sure everyone has black ancestry.
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