Michelle Obama Slavery Roots Traced By Genealogist Megan Smolenyak (VIDEO)

The New York Times today ran an article tracing the ancestral roots of First Lady Michelle Obama back five generations to her great-great-great-grandmother Melvina Shields, a slave from South Carolina. The First Lady's family tree was uncovered by genealogist Megan Smolenyak. Smolenyak discovered that Shields had been impregnated by an unknown white man, substantiating "what Mrs. Obama has called longstanding family rumors about a white forebear." Smolenyak spoke to Harry Smith of CBS's Early Show about the extensive research she did during the process of filling out Mrs. Obama's family history.

Read the Times article here. Watch the interview with Ms. Smolenyak below.

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Comments

[nilotic]

Why is this news? Of course many of Mrs. Obama's African ancestors where enslaved, and at least one of them was impregnated (raped) by the white slave master. Tracing MO's lineage back to a particular African tribe(s) would be of greater significance and interest, and it can be done. THAT would be powerful. I am troubled by the empasis of the "white forebear" in media reports.

[mypov123]

I agree, this isn't exactly surprising. It seems that Michelle's family history isn't that much different from most Black Americans who are the descendants of slaves.

[Trueheart]

If I were Mrs. Obama, I would be eager to know about both sides.
So why give one side of her lineage more importance than the other?
Insofar as the slave owner Shields is concerned, it is significant that he acknowledged the 4 children he had with Melvina, to whom he gave his last name. Many slave owners did not do this.

[ThankgodIgotabrain]

Slavery is a terrible thing but there were white slaves, black slaves, guy slaves ,girls slaves and other immagrants.
Almost everybody has experienced some unjust thing in there lives.
PPL need to get over this its not the 1800s or 1960s anymore its 2009.
We need to move on.

[BruceHNV]

"We need to move on." = "We need to ignore and forget anything less than glorious about American History and pretend it doesn't affect us to this day."

[YouDisgustMe]

well put.

[YouDisgustMe]

slavery is something that happened all over the world...however, none was as brutal and generational as the enslavement of black ppl. what's worse is that is was followed by years of oppression, discrimination, violence and hatred.

your attempt to simplify and dismiss only makes it harder for all of us to reach some kind of closure. you sound like my 87 year old grandpa. i excuse him because he grew up in the south (and during very different times.)

[Beatriz09]

Sure, there were all kinds of slaves. But, guy or girl, if you were black, you had 99,99% chance of being a slave, and if you were white, 99,99% of never be a slave. That's why this is not just about experiencing one unjust thing in your life, it's about not leading your own life AT ALL.

To go in just a few generations from such a terrible unjustice towards black people to a situation were one of their grandchildren is the first lady of the US is truely amazing, and inspires people all over the world. This is not only about the past (which do needs to be remembered), it's mainly about the relation between past and present. Whatever color of skin you have, we shouldn't move on too quickly on this topic, but really celebrate the fact that America has been able to take this step forward (without forgetting that unfortunately a lot still has to be done).

[StillweRise]

I have read one time too many some right winger reaching for the following talking point "b-b-but AFRICANS sold Africans into slavery TOO!

It is an absolute fact that Africans sold other Africans into slavery. (usually a warring tribe would sell prisoners into slavery). So now, TELL me how that absolves America of HER original sin. Tell me WHY right wingers ALWAYS reach for that particular talking point as if the "they did it too" defense makes this country''s participation in, abuse of, and fight to preserve slavery alright!

Answer: IT DOESN'T. it is but a pathetic attempt to make those that hate, feel ok 'about' their hate. Obviously stories and discussions about slavery make some uncomfortable. That is good. What is NOT good, is their trained reaction 'to' it. Their TRAINED, talking-point reaction to it has the 'wished for' goal of hushing such uncomfortable stories and discussions. but know.... the story of slavery in America is PART of the story "of" AMERICA. Can't have one without the other. And with the 400+ years of slavery in America, and the 100+ years of suppression and repression afterward, the saga continues. OUR country evolves, and while Barack and Michelle may be the FIRST African American occupants of the White house, they are certainly not the LAST. Heck... they aren't even the last MINORITY occupants (viva LaRaza!!)

GOD BLESS AMERICA AND "ALL" OF HER FUTURE "AMERICAN" GENERATIONS.....
have a great day.... (smile)

[maiali]

One crucial aspect that is never mentioned when folks trot out the "But Africans sold Africans into slavery too!" meme is the fact that the forms of slavery present in Africa were in no way comparable to chattel slavery. The other piece that is never acknowledged is the fact that Africans resisted the slave trade and utilized various strategies to stave off the inroads of slavers in African countries. These facts are known to scholars, but less known to laypeople---whites in particular---who continue to trot out the same tired defensive excuses about African complicity in the slave trade.

[YouDisgustMe]

you said it better than i could

ps: i am white and i do know that slavery in africa was in no way comparable to what my ancestors did

[Trueheart]

I don't think you are correct in your assumptions about Africans who were slaves in Africa. Chattel means: chattel personal an item of movable personal property, such as furniture, domestic animals.

Some African slaves were indeed considered chattel, and were traded as such to whites. In some cases, there was generational slavery in Africa. In others, villages were raided and people were thrown into chains for sale as slaves.

The participation of Africans in the slave trade shouldn't be minimized or trivialized in comparison with their European partners. It is all part of the story of Mankind's potential for evil and cruelty.

[lionzion]

Where are the white people with African blood in them. Why are you hiding behind your skin color. What not have a genelogy test on Babe Ruth?

[yougogirl1948]

To lionzion:


I believe the actress, Carol Channing, has been vocal about her mixed heritage. Google is your friend.

[YouDisgustMe]

slow down, sweetheart...lol..we're not talking about the carol channings. she looks pretty ethnic...and her black ancestry is close (her dad was half black -- it would be hard to deny or hide that)

[lionzion]

Dear,Yougo..whatever,

you just named one..one in 200 hundred years of a melting pot i we called America..thank you for showing me the iron curtain will never fall, when it comes to white people and the genes that's running in their blood.

[lionzion]

Carol Channing, a famous actress played in Gentlemen prefer Blondes and Hello Dolly. Channing is an African-American who never disclosed this fact until she wrote about this fact in her book, Just Lucky, I Guess, that her father was an African American who passed by adapting to living in two worlds, one black and one white.

I just googled and this is what i found, you are pathetic..

[glorialovelace]

Babe Ruth's genealogy is out there on the internet if you're really interested in seeing it. Both his parents were German-Americans.

[nilotic]

I was going to say the same thing! There seems to be a point of trying to humiliate African Americans by digging up the fact that some of their ancestors were also the slave masters. Why didn't they investigate the geneology of Hillary Clinton or Laura Bush to see if any of their ancestors were enslaved Africans? That would be news worthy, not this.

I agree with you about Babe Ruth.....

[BruceHNV]

How is the fact of rising from slavery to the White House in five generations "humiliating" pray tell? Sounds inspiring to me.

[YouDisgustMe]

i don't think the point is to humiliate african americans (how would that be possible?)....in many of the cases were a black person has a white ancestor from the 1800s, it's usually because a white man raped a black woman. if anything, i think we (white people) are the ones who should feel ashamed.

[USAwoman]

Focus is on Mrs. Obama because she fascinates us. Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush's pasts are typical of white America so there's not much of a story there. But Michelle Obama is a book that we've never read. And her story is a "must read" bestseller. She fascinates us because of her intelligence, confidence, beauty, and class. When did any First Lady ever possess all of these qualities? NEVER!!! Mrs. Obama is a one-of-a-kind.

Please do not misunderstand me ... I respect Hillary Clinton. She is a powerful woman who kowtows to no man. She represents the USA very well as Secretary of State.

Laura Bush married into a political family. She seems like a very nice lady, but she is not very inspiring.

[Matt7]

I'm sure that Mrs. Obama is well aware of her family's history as being descendant from American slaves, and wouldn't be overly surprised at the possibility of some white slave owner somewhere in her past as well. Such is the case for many in this country.

The only possible purpose I can see for doing a story like this is, perhaps, to get Americans to begin to honestly discuss the subject of race. Problem is 1) the subject as presented is not substantive enough to begin a productive discussion; 2) many who visit this board are not as interested in discussing the ISSUE of race, as hurling the accusation of "racism" or baiting the discussion with over worn phrases like, "so, if I don't agree with you, that makes me a racist?"; and finally 3) with so many MAJOR issues on everyone's plate, this is probably not the best timing to try to "chow down" on something as intricate, dense and yet delicate as the discussion of race, slavery, and what part they might play in modern day America.

Thanks, though. I guess.

[eden4barack08]

Excellent comment! I totally agree with you.
I think I've already fanned you in the past, if not, I'm fanning you again.

[citizen of the universe]

I don't think many of you realize (reading some of the post) how important it is to know where you come from. You have to remember everything was taken from slaves when they were brought here including their name. To find a piece of yourself, your family, your history is an overwhelming experience, I weep with happiness for the First Lady today.

[MissFord]

Not sure as to why this is news...most black people living in America can trace their lineage back to slavery and probably back to a slave owner at some point as well. I think they did this because they cannot connect anything like this to Obama considering that his father is African and his mother was white. People spent a lot of time trying to verify Obama's citizenship as well as his 'blackness' when he is truly African-American based soley on his own parents! I am considered to be African-American when in fact I know nothing regarding my own African history. Looking at the First Lady's features, she may have some Native American lineage too - where is that story? I do not feel that this story is a bad one, just unnecessary.

[sski74]

Quite a story. Shows how far we have come. From the ancestry of slavery to the First Lady of the US. She's educated, successful and a class act. So proud to have her as our First Lady!

[greenwren]

I don't understand the negative posts -- her slave ancestry is not shameful, but historical. It's not a slur against her or her slave forebears.

Quite the opposite. It's inspiring. To have come so far against such odds in only a few generations.

We should stand up and cheer.

[UCLAdy04]

I think it's great that this has been done. It never ceases to amaze me how willfully ignorant people can be. People saying stuff like "so what" and "this matters why" is nothing short of astounding. An entire race of PEOPLE not animals, not objects, but PEOPLE were enslaved in this country less than 150 years ago! THAT matters. Their history, their legacy, and their humanity matters. It isn't something that should be brushed under the rug. Their contributions should be celebrated not ignored because it is an inconvenient truth of this country's history.

[AsISaid]

I think this is an inspiring story.

[Moshe]

In related news: All humans traced back to a common ancestor.

So can we stop hating and killing each other now?

[FoxyBrown]

The story of Michelle's ancestry is typical for many if not most African-Americans in this country who trace their roots to slavery. It reflects the powerlessness of slaves and the vulnerability of slave females to control their own bodies, and their reproductive capabilities. It is a truth that mainstream America likes to sweep under the rug, but can no longer do so. That is why the story is important and exposes the truth, whether or not one choses to believes it. Our grandmothers and great- grand mothers didn't like to speak of such things, but it is the truth nonetheless.

[Robert Cantor]

for better or for worse this is a uniquely American story. there is nothing to be afraid of here. Just like Joe Kennedy was involved with highly questionable business deals and the Bushs' have a pro German sympathizer in their roots; Long standing American families have tangled roots.

[bsgunn]

I didn't even read the post. I'm not going too. I just wanted to say "WTF"

[BruceHNV]

Because, really, who gives a royal flyin' flip about stupid junk like "history," right? I mean, who needs it? Ignorance is bliss.