PODCAST Ep 402: An Interview with Michael W Twitty, part one

I don’t know how to introduce this – I GOT TO INTERVIEW MICHAEL TWITTY!!!

We talked for so long that I was able to break the discussion into two episodes. This is part one, in which we talk DNA and how it doesn’t serve Black researchers, writing as a protection of memory the ultimate smallness of the world, human interconnectedness, and many aspects of Blackness as they relate to power and powerlessness – ultimately, finding the power in self-knowledge, including the ugly stuff. please let me know what you think, and after this ep, listen for the next one – that will be part two of this amazing discussion.

Hello, and welcome to episode 402 of From Paper To People, genealogy’s answer to the eternal question, “What’s your story?” My name is Carolynn ni Lochlainn, and I am your hostess with the mostest. This is a very exciting episode for me – as I stated in the promo a little over a week ago, I had the extreme honor of talking with Michael Twitty, a cultural and culinary historian whose masterwork, “The Cooking Gene,” has helped to raise the consciousness of a nation to issues of Blackness, Whiteness, Southernness, Americanness, and so much more. We talked for so long that I am brining you this conversation in two parts. In this episode, we go around the world and back again, but if I have to boil down the discussion, I’d say it’s about how small the world is, how Blackness and Whiteness are both absolutely different and historically intertwined, and how we can all work together to recognize the giant family we’re a part of. It may sound a bit idealistic, but work with me here – Michael defies categories and descriptions! Half the fun of the interview was seeing where it would go, only to have it come home again to the same basic points: Michael’s Southern Discomfort Tour was a confrontation of a truth that many researchers and most DNA companies don’t go far enough to serve; fear gets us nowhere; and that when all is said and done, the more we know, the more we realize that we know nothing, and that we have to start all over again.

That was probably a really bad intro, but listen anyway! I’ll let Michael speak for himself. Here now is part one of the interview.

I can’t tell you how amazing it feels for me to talk with someone whose work and life I admire so much, and to have him treat me as a peer. It’s a natural high. I couldn’t have enjoyed our discussion more, and I sincerely hope that you’ll come back for part two. In the meantime, remember: do your research; RootsTech is free, 100% online this year, and it starts February 25th; don’t be a Jeffrey; and above all, Expect Surprises.

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