Three people trusted me to help them tell the story about the day their lives were turned upside down. It was not a responsibility that I took lightly and it’s one I feel has produced one of the best things I’ve done, to date, in the genealogy and family history space. And that’s saying a lot.
We talk DNA all the time. We also talk about situations where those who take DNA tests find out that one, or both, of their parents is not who they were told they were. We often discuss it from third person perspective and in some instances it is sensationalized for ratings or clout or the wrong people are centering themselves in the conversation. What I’ve put together is the complete opposite. It’s my effort to help a community that feels largely unheard and unsupported despite the large number of groups on social media who are focused on their new life circumstances.
Episode 111a features people who have dealt with this situation directly. These brave souls discuss why they DNA tested to begin with, whether they had any reason to believe that the information they received would be different from what they were told, their reactions after finding out the truth, how their family reacted, their journey to identify their biological parent, and how they’re dealing with things now. They are joined by a licensed psychologist who provides them, and the viewer, with strategies on how to process the newfound information, and the unique challenges one can face in this scenario in the Black community.
Episode 111a, When DNA Gets Real, will premiere on Tuesday, April 21, 2020 at 11:30am Central on YouTube. Immediately following (around 12:10pm Central), we’ll have a live Q&A (episode 111b) with my special guests.
As much as I wish everyone would watch everything I put together, I know that’s just not possible. But trust me, this is something we all need to watch because everyone has something they can learn from it.
Episode 111a – When DNA Gets Real
It’s one thing to take a DNA test and get back a fancy pie chart with the ethnic groups you belong to. It’s another to have those same test results shift your entire world after you discover that one of your biological parents is not who you were told they were. In this episode, we discuss the highs and lows of living with this new found information from people who have experienced it first hand, all while learning how to navigate such a sensitive topic in the Black community.
Episode 111b – When DNA Gets Real: Live Q&A
Tune in for a live question and answer session with our special guests from episode 111a, When DNA Gets Real.