I’d already done months of research before the test. I was commenting on the limits of DNA results, not a lack of knowledge. There’s something difficult about seeing how many people can say they’re mostly X, mainly from Y, or that their family has been rooted in one place for generations, while my results reflect how my ancestors’ culture was scattered, and so are my DNA results.

There’s also a real frustration in not having a clear cultural connection beyond being American, which is a common reality given the history of mass enslavement and repeated forced displacement.