Updated: 5:33 AM CST Feb 19, 2021 Lisa Robinson I-Team Reporter For many Black Americans, knowing their heritage has been difficult because of the slave trade. Over the years, many have gathered stories from family members, but the availability of kits that sequence DNA has led to knowledge Black Americans never previously had. For years, Melvin Collier of Maryland has been researching where he comes from using census records, other documents and oral histories with older family members. When DNA testing became more widely available, he took advantage of it. I ve tested my mother, my father, my aunts, uncles and other relatives, Collier said. (The results give) you things like, Hey, you re 30% Nigerian. Or, you re 25% Ghana, from that region. It brings about a sense of belonging. Nick Sheedy, the lead genealogist for the PBS show Finding Your Roots with Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr., said the accessibility of records and affordability of DNA testing
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