By now, most of you are probably trying your best to ignore anything coming out of the Elizabeth Warren-Donald Trump camps regarding Warren's newly-released DNA test results showing a small percentage of Native American DNA in her admixture. I would like to encourage everybody to stop paying any attention to that, whatsoever, and return their attention to the very real issues of voter disenfranchisement in North Dakota and recently a judge in Texas struck down a law that aimed at keeping Native American children in their own communities by disallowing white people from adopting them. These very real, very in-the-moment issues affecting Native Americans today and for many tomorrows to come, need our attention and action far more than the latest nonsense those two white politicians are lobbing at one another.
But in the meantime, since you're here, I would also like to take a moment to share my thoughts on the Warren-post-DNA-test-result-sharing fallout. I think a lot of us, probably most of us, can see that it hasn't gone exactly how she'd planned it to go. Her motives are being highly scrutinized, and rightly so. But she's not the only one who has taken a DNA test and had interesting results. A lot of us are taking tests, and some of us, like myself, are finding small amounts of non-European DNA in our results. This leaves us with a lot of questions and emotions and nobody to talk to. It's a lonely, isolating experience, and there are no rules of etiquette for how to handle this. DNA tests are still very new and the amount of white people finding themselves in this situation, is relatively small. Of that amount, only a small percentage are even willing to acknowledge it and want to embrace it. Those people need some guidance, and I would like to offer it to them. As a white person who has been navigating through this new situation for a couple years now, I have gleaned some knowledge that I will share now, in the form of an open letter.
Dear White Person,
So, you took a DNA test and just got the results and found out that you have a small amount of non-European DNA in your admixture. And you don't really know where to go from here. You may or may not have expected or anticipated these results, but here you are. You might be thrilled and excited, or disappointed and apprehensive. I cannot help those feeling the latter, but for those of you in the former category, might I offer you some advice as to how to begin your journey of learning your full past and incorporating it into who you thought you were?
First and Foremost: You were white before you took the test, and you are still white. Your white privilege is very much still intact. You do not get to claim yourself as (Fill in the blank) American. You are a white person with (Fill in the blank) ancestry. This is the distinction you need to make. Basically, don't start changing how you fill out the census or applications, etc.
Things that are OK for you to do:
*Learn the history of POC in your family tree, what they endured, and the history those people have in this country.
*Find ways to honor those ancestors by acknowledging them in your own personal life. I have researched my family history and the history of the countries that showed up on my tests. I have learned about how these people came to the United States, and about their history once they arrived. I have incorporated certain elements into my life that I feel honors them. I will not share them here, they are private. It's my own way, and you must find your way.
*Continue to honor your ancestors by working to dismantle racism in this country and in yourself by actively working to rid yourself of white privilege.
*Educate yourself about POC in this country and what they go through today. It isn't their job to educate us. The information is out there, you only have to use google and a library to seek it.
*Once you are educated enough to begin, use your voice, knowledge, and desire to honor your ancestors to speak out to other white people. You have a voice they will listen to, so use it. Go to white spaces and amplify the words of POC by sharing them with others. Your job is not to take a space in a community of color, but to work in white communities from the inside.
*Educate yourself on the concepts of cultural appropriation vs. cultural appreciation and do your best not to appropriate what isn't yours. But don't beat yourself up if you mess up sometimes. Just keep trying to do better next time.
Things that are not OK for you to do:
*Jokingly or seriously inquiring about how to gain from this discovery. No questions or jokes about qualifying for scholarships, etc.
*Do not try to worm your way into communities of color. You are not Rachel Dolezal. However your family's history happened, is yours to explore and embrace, but the now you live in is a now in the white community, with full white privilege. There is no place for you in a community of color.
*Trying to gain anything from this knowledge about your family's history. Politically, socially, economically, just don't. Seriously, don't. There's really no way this doesn't qualify as cultural appropriation, no matter how you try to justify it.
Things to look out for:
*Who and why you reveal this knowledge to. Are you excited about it? Trying to get pity/attention/sympathy/cool points for it? Denying your heritage is wrong, but acknowledging it must also be done in a balanced way, and your motive must always be considered. Personally, I reveal it when it is relevant to the discussion. Talking about DNA tests, for example, when others want to know how they work, if they really work, etc. Discussions about genealogy. Or if I am explaining to somebody how I became involved in educating myself and working to dismantle my white privilege. Most white people aren't interested in this, so it does stand out sometimes. These are appropriate times to discuss it. It is never appropriate to use it as a way to compare yourself to a person of color or their life experiences. You have never, and never will, know what it is like to be a person of color in this country, so stop pretending that this is some type of leveling measure.
*Understand that it's not wrong to acknowledge this information about yourself, but sometimes, keeping it to yourself is ok, and it's enough. It's ok to keep this to yourself if you know that you will come across as self-serving otherwise.
Be Prepared For:
*Everybody to question your motives. These questions are not rhetorical. Be fully prepared to answer them. This means that you have to fully question yourself and your motives, first. Nobody should question your motives more than you question them yourself. Always take a moment to consider the outcome of revealing this information, before you make a final decision to or not to.
*There will not be a consensus of the situation you find yourself in now. Each person, regardless of their race, will have a unique take on it and will react accordingly. You must learn to roll with the punches.
*I have been navigating my way in the world for a couple years now since finding out about my small amount of non-white DNA. I have researched my family history and done what I could to track down my ancestors of color, with only a small success so far. If you research your family history, depending on where your ancestors of color came from, you may have more or less success in tracking them down. Be patient and know that this might take a lifetime to figure out. If you ever do manage to figure it out at all. Keep in mind that for a lot of people of color, this frustration and inability to track down ancestors, is for their entire family tree, and not just one or two isolated ancestors. Keep it in perspective.
Well, I think that's enough to get you started. I wish you luck as you try to figure all of this out. One day down the road, maybe there will be an official set of rules for people like us to follow, but until then, hopefully this can help.
Signed,
Somebody Who Knows Exactly How You Feel Right Now
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