I am so impressed with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. He has a warm, empathetic personality on his television show where he uncovers the ancestors of his guests. He has been the host of this series since 2012 and yet in each episode his findings seem fresh and genuine with concern for his subjects.
This is a side interest. His more significant career accomplishment is as a literary critic, author and educator.
His genealogy subjects on the show include one Black American, and he traces their ancestry to give them a picture of their past where slavery is usually involved. It is sobering to see the census schedules of slaves with first names, colour and age, organized by owner. It was chilling when he told one guest that this was the only person where they had identified his ancestor and which ship he was on as he crossed the Atlantic to slavery. The only one out how many? Eventually the total slave population in the South reached four million.
His own experience: "In the second season of the program, Gates learned that he is part of a genetic subgroup that may be descended from or related to the fourth-century Irish king, Niall of the Nine Hostages. He also learned that one of his African ancestors includes a Yoruba man who was trafficked to America from Ouidah in present-day Republic of Benin. The two series demonstrated the many strands of ancestry, cultural heritage, and history among African Americans."
He has won numerous awards, and is a celebrated literary figure and Harvard professor. But here's that chilling U.S. story of racism that affects every Black American regardless of how important or well-known they are:
Following a trip to China, Gates returned home to his residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts, near Harvard Square on July 16, 2009, only to find the front door jammed. His taxi driver attempted to help him gain entrance. A passerby called police, reporting a possible break-in after describing to 911 "an individual" forcing the front door open. Cambridge police officers were dispatched. The confrontation resulted in Gates being arrested and charged with disorderly conduct. Prosecutors later dropped the charges.
The incident spurred a politically charged exchange of views about race relations and law enforcement throughout the United States. The arrest attracted national attention after U.S. President Barack Obama controversially declared that the Cambridge police "acted stupidly" in arresting the 59-year-old Gates. Obama and then-Vice President Joe Biden eventually extended an invitation to Gates and the Cambridge officer who was involved to share a beer with them at the White House, which they accepted."
Could it be Barack Obama who is arrested standing outside a house front door? I guess not - that's because they have secret service protection.
Checking out the root vegetables on the market today.
I find that there was a Pope Urban. Urban's Latin origin means "of the city". It turns out it was a regular sort of name into the 20th century. One of Paul's epistles was named Urban. There were seven popes with that name. And there turn out to many people with Urban as a surname.
Ancestry.ca says there are 429,000 records for Urban. It has all kinds of tidbits for someone researching the Urban family tree. They include photos and records, the top occupations in 1921 (surprise! it is farmer), geographical distribution, and member trees.
There was a surge in DNA tests in 2018 and 2019.
"For consumers, the tests—which cost as little as $59—offer entertainment, clues to ancestry, and a chance of discovering family secrets, such as siblings you didn’t know about. But the consequences for privacy go well beyond that. As these databases grow, they have made it possible to trace the relationships between nearly all Americans, including those who never purchased a test."
Over 30 million people globally have taken a DNA test. The promoted benefits are awareness of genetic diseases, allowing a person to make more proactive steps about their health.
With the rise in DNA tests, there has also been a rise in surprise family secret stories. Great headlines abound: The Christmas present that could tear your family apart or Your father's not your father, and 20 most shocking DNA test discovered. Even AARP weighs in on advice to consider.
The train module that Gerry and the Maple Leaf Mafia group have built is going to a new home next week. Here they are at the 2018 convention where I got this panorama and some shots of the layout.
