This contest has ended. Winner announced below! Thanks to everyone who participated.

Each year, February is a big month for African Ancestry. We are fortunate to have opportunities to share the African Ancestry Experience, meet new people, and engage in conversations across the country. This year, we thought a contest would be a good way to reach even more people and hear your perspective on finding your roots. We will pose a question each week and reward the most thoughtful and insightful response with a free MatriClan or PatriClan Test Kit.

Our sense of identity starts to form very early in our lives. One of the first ways that we view ourselves is within the context of our family. We enter the world with many identities: our mother’s firstborn, grandmama’s baby, little sister or little brother. Throughout our lives our identity grows and evolves.

This week we’d like to know: HOW DOES KNOWING YOUR ROOTS SHAPE YOUR IDENTITY?

Post your response in the comments section of our blog between February 1st through 7th and you’ll have the chance to win a free African Ancestry Test Kit!

The winner will be announced on February 12th and will be chosen by President, Gina Paige and Scientific Director, Dr. Rick Kittles! See full contest rules here.

UPDATE 02/08/10: This contest is correctly closed. But enter our Week 2 contest to try and win a free test kit.

UPDATE 02/12/10:

The posts submitted for our first contest question: How does knowing your identity shape your roots?, were simply amazing. We are humbled and encouraged by the number of people who chose to share their feelings on the topic. The perspectives on identity were so diverse, engaging, and powerful that we had a very difficult time making a decision on one compelling response. This week’s winner is Darnell Taylor, a young man with admirable insight and passion. Congratulations Darnell!

Read Darnell’s Response:

Knowing my roots will help shape my identity by giving me something to take pride in. Most of us black youths don’t really care about our life, we don’t hold it in high value. I know this because I use to be like this, a lot of my friends are still like this. We have no clue of who we are. Everything we know about ourselves is a lie and it has been taught to us in school by Europeans and none of it is positive. So why would we care about ourselves when we’ve been taught to believe that we come from a weak people who were slaves that came from a “heathen” continent. How are we suppose to not believe what the European teaches us about ourselves when every Sunday we go worship a man that looks just like him.

The elders have no clue what the youth is going through and this is exactly why we act the way we act, because our souls and spirits have been bared for exposure without any protection. Our elders no longer share their wisdom with us, they look at us like we are heathens who don’t know Jesus. So if I find out my roots it will not only shape my identity but my friends around me who actually believe that we come from an embarrassing background. If our elders won’t help us then we have to gain the knowledge and wisdom and help ourselves.

p.s.

This is what’s needed I know because when I share the information about ancient Africa and the beauty of present day Africa with my friends I see how their souls glow, I see the decoding of slavery and oppression begin to dismantle, and instead of them going out and getting back in some trouble with the police they come over my house and ask for me to share more information and their parents have no clue that they are gaining this kind of information because they don’t care they rather believe that they are up to no good. This is what the youth NEED!

To everyone else, thank you for your responses. There are still more chances to win a FREE TEST KIT. Answer our Week 2 question to enter for a chance to win. Our Week 3 question will be posted on 2/15. Plus, you can also sign up for our mailing list in February and be entered for a chance to win a FREE TEST KIT.

In 2010, African Ancestry is focused on connecting with our African Ancestry family, the black community and the continent of Africa in even more meaningful ways!

To get the fun started and celebrate the first Black History Month of the new decade, African Ancestry is offering ways to WIN FREE test kits and prizes—all month long!

WIN A FREE TEST KIT ON OUR BLOG (4 chances to win)!

Each week in February, we’ll post a new question here on the African Ancestry blog about ancestry and heritage. The most thoughtful answer wins a free MatriClan or PatriClan test kit! A new question will be posted every Monday starting on February 1st.

All winners will be selected by President, Gina Paige and Scientific Director, Dr. Rick Kittles, and announced the Friday following the last day of the contest.

Week 4 Question now posted! Answer it here for your chance to win!

WIN GREAT PRIZES ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER!

Throughout February, we’ll be randomly posting quiz questions about African American and African history on our Facebook and Twitter pages. The first person to answer the question correctly wins prizes like PBS’ African American Lives DVD, The Black Book 35th Anniversary Edition, African Ancestry gift certificates and more.

We’ll keep you posted about our blog contest on Facebook and Twitter too, so add us today!

Sign up for our mailing list throughout February and you’ll also be entered to win a free MatriClan or PatriClan test kit!

SPECIAL BLACK HISTORY MONTH PRICING: $275 per kit

Plus, we’ve discounted all African Ancestry MatriClan and PatriClan test kits down to $275 throughout February. You save $75! Order your test starting Monday at shop.africanancestry.com.

See Black History Month Sweepstakes Terms and Conditions.

Today I met with professors from George Mason University and Howard University about our Ancestry Education Project. The topic of the Kaiser Family Foundation’s latest report: Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds came up.

One of the key findings shows that Black and Hispanic youth consume significantly more media than White youth. “Substantial differences in media consumption emerge between White youth and Black or Hispanic youth, with the latter two groups consuming nearly 41/2 hours more media daily (13:00 of total media exposure for Hispanics, 12:59 for Blacks, and 8:36 for Whites). The difference between White and minority youth is largest for TV: Black youth spend an average of 2:18 more per day with TV than White youth.” (p. 37)

Now, we don’t need a study to tell us that the media our kids are consuming sends them very poor messages of who they are and what they can become. It’s alarming to now be told that our kids are spending ridiculous amounts of time engaged in media that feeds them negative images of self.

Then, I get back to my office and receive an email with a youtube video called “Scholar Ladies”. Thank goodness there are people out there who are using the power of the media to positively influence our kids. There is hope!

Among all of the coverage of the devastation in Haiti, I was pleasantly surprised to read the AP article about Senegal offering land to Haitians. The headline reads, “Senegal’s president offers voluntary repatriation and land to any Haitians that want to come”. President Abdoulaye Wade made this offer to our brothers and sisters in Haiti because they are the descendants of enslaved Africans, many of whom likely were taken from Senegal.

It is encouraging to see the intensive outreach to Haiti from all over the world. It is particularly empowering to see this type of outreach from Senegal. It is at the core of our mission at African Ancestry that we see ourselves differently and that we see Africa differently. I am glad to know that it works both ways.

Today, Dr. Kittles and I decided to make a commitment to Haiti as well. We are going to donate 2% of all African Ancestry sales this month to the CARE Haiti Earthquake Relief effort.

We encourage you to also find a way to give to the people of Haiti. There are many credible organizations that are on the ground in Haiti making a difference.