A quest to find living descendants of 36 enslaved people has turned into a project to give black residents new clues to their ancestry, wherever it leads.
caroline gutman and
Report from Charleston, South Carolina
When Edward Lee heard about a project to collect DNA from his fellow black residents in Charleston, South Carolina, he was understandably skeptical. Knowing that African Americans had been exploited economically and in medical experiments, he feared that surrendering his genetic identity would make him vulnerable.
But he knows the people behind the Anson Street African Burial Ground project and has worked with many of them before on similar efforts to preserve the area's black history. I've been working on it.
And they came to him with a unique proposal. Using DNA extracted from 36 slaves whose bones were unearthed by construction workers downtown, researchers are now searching for their living descendants.
Lee thought that even if he wasn't related to any of them, perhaps DNA testing could provide other answers that weren't available before. He was able to trace his ancestry back to his great-grandmother, but no further. So last spring, he sat still while a researcher gently wiped the inside of his cheek.
“I needed assurance that I could control the outcome. That was the only reason I did it,” Lee said.
Now, dozens of black residents have agreed to do their part in the genetic detective's work. It all began in 2013, when construction workers for a concert hall stumbled upon what may be the oldest known enslaved burial site in Charleston.
Supporters of the project say it could serve as a blueprint for how to address preserving neglected aspects of Black history across the country before development and time erode them further. I believe there is.
Its history goes back to where ships carrying hundreds of kidnapped Africans once docked, and for years community leaders like Lee worked to protect the graves of enslaved people. It is especially moving in Charleston, where we have continued to fight.
“It feels like every ground you step on is steeped in history,” says project member Joanna Gilmore, an anthropologist who has dedicated much of her career to documenting African burial sites. .
In the 10 years since the burial site was discovered, Ms. Gilmore and other researchers from the University of Pennsylvania, the College of Charleston, and the Charleston community have identified 36 African and Native American people buried along Anson Street in the 19th century. Revealed ancestry. 18th century — Several men, possibly including a mother and child.
Six were most likely born in Africa, and the rest were born in or near Charleston. The grave was unmarked, but the bodies were carefully spaced and buried with shrouds and coins to cover the eyes.
The “ancestors”, as they are collectively known, have since been reburied and there are plans to build a fountain surrounded by bronze needles modeled after the 36 black residents who were found and the same age. .
But another question remained. Did Charleston still have living descendants?
But the quest required convincing as many people in the area as possible to join. Some agreed, seeing it as a way to safely answer basic questions about their family history or trace their roots beyond the Carolina coast.
“Time is not on our side. If someone doesn't take a stand that actually brings attention to family ties, young people, I don't think they're going to do it,” Karen Wright-Chisholm said. After submitting the swab in spring 2023, “In order to teach them, we need to know the information in order to pass on the information.”
Some participated to pay homage to enslaved Africans or simply because a friend suggested they try it.
“This is just a vessel for connection,” said Clifton R. Polite Jr., who also participated in creating the hand-cast fountain.
So far, no direct descendants have been discovered, and researchers admit that such a thing may never happen. However, this project showed that each outcome has the potential to change people's understanding of their heritage.
Lasheia Oubre, a teacher who has led community engagement in this project, said not only different regions of Africa were reflected in her results, but indicators of German and Asian ancestry were also reflected. I noticed that
“For the first time in my life, I understood where I came from,” she said. “If everyone could do this, you would realize that you are related to someone in some way.”
Months after the swab collection, dozens of participants gathered again in a dark auditorium. Ms. Gilmore, Dr. Schull, and Dr. Raquel Fresquez, another anthropologist at Dartmouth College, thoroughly investigated their findings and dissected how to interpret each piece of genetic data.
Audience members remained silent, taking pictures of the screen and occasionally jotting down notes as Dr. Schull explained how to see which strains were represented where in the results.
“Just to be clear, everyone in this room, we are all similar because we are a very recent species,” Dr. Schull told the room, adding that the results are “deeply profound.” “It doesn't reflect psychology,” he added. Because it is not true that what is causing the divisions between human populations from a genetic point of view. ”
Finally, it was the participant's turn to see the results in full.
Mr. Lee was among those who requested a manila envelope containing a summary of his DNA results. There was a surprise there. A small but unexpected number of people were of Middle Eastern descent.
“When doctors say we're 99.9 percent the same, you're shocked,” he said.