Untold RVA

Look what just dropped today at The Commonwealth Times!

Untold RVA was asked to add perspective and analysis of the newly updated findings released by the East District Well Project last week.

For me, DNA analysis has been a powerful pathway upon which my family's ancestor reconnection journey brought us right back to the precise coordinates in Sierra Leone and Guinea where we lived and thrived and reigned within the ruling houses and royal lineages prior to the days of slavery.

Without the help of DNA, there would have been no way for me to repatriate to Sierra Leone as a fully vested citizen and diplomatic ambassador for traditional affairs throughout the diaspora.

Therefore, if the community stewards of Richmond's well project take their important work a few steps further to insist on analyzing the data through a people-powered genetic repository like the Ancestry DNA data base, we could actually end up reconnecting the identities of these enslaved ancestors to their own precolonial ancestors as well as connecting them to their modern day decendants by name and by tribe.

Richmond could even host a transatlantic family reunion like nothing our city has ever seen before.

Shout out to my powerhouse colleagues, Dr. Sara Wilson McKay at VCU and Dr. Megan Msl at MCV, whose innovative vision led them to invite me, Free Bangura, to join their noble team of investors in the cultural humility and creativity of first year medical students, many of which have since graduated and are out in the world doing their own amazing work as healers, all across the globe.

May our collective work continue to inspire generations ✨🙌🏾✨.

Power to the people ✊🏾!

May it be so.

Researchers find new genetic information on Marshall Street Well victims Sal Orlando, Assistant News Editor | VCU initiated DNA analysis last month on the human remains found in the East Marshall Street Well as part of the university’s efforts to memorialize individuals posthumously stolen by what is now the VCU School of Medicine.The remains of at least 44 adults and ...