“Diversity is nothing but a curtain over the real truth that we are all one,” concluded John Enos, a student who participated in the “Discover Your Roots Project” at Soldan International High School.
Enos is one of several ethnically diverse Advance Placement and English Language Learners students who recently used their DNA samples to trace their ancestors’ migratory routes from East Africa, the birthplace of the human species.
Since September 2007, the students worked with volunteer mentors from IBM, who facilitated the DNA testing and analysis, and Dr. Jacquelyn Lewis-Harris, director of the University of Missouri-St. Louis’ Center for Human Origin and Cultural Diversity Center, who provided a broader anthropological background.
“We give them the human origin story and that way they can understand that, no matter what they find, the only reason we have different characteristics is because of how our ancestors adapted to different environments, said Lewis-Harris, also an artist, author and curator for the St. Louis Art Museum.
“I like being a curator and interpreting material, but being here was different because I was able to work with schools and the kids in here,” said Lewis-Harris who has been director of the UMSL center for 10 years.
“It’s very important that we now know where we came from.”
At the center, students viewed fossil casts of early huminids, learned how archaeologists find and date material, and studied biological adaptations, such as skin color, hair and facial features, as they relate to environment.
The project also included trips to the Science Center, Missouri History Museum and Missouri Historical Society Library.
“When we start looking at commonality and how we are all connected and codependent, only then can we bridge the divide,” said Alice L. Manus, assistant principal of Soldan.
“What happens in Darfur and Iraq affects us all, so we have to start helping one another economically, socially and intellectually and start seeing ourselves as a global society. That’s why we’re taking part in this project.”
Manus said the project has energized students and faculty at the school.
North St. Louis resident Brian Jackson, a senior at Soldan, said because some of his ancestors were victims of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, he didn’t know a lot abut his ancestry before participating in the project.
“It gives me somewhere to start looking,” said Jackson.
He learned that after East Africa, his ancestors went through Nigeria and the Arabian Peninsula but ended up in Europe.
“That explains a lot of things, like why I have a lot white people in my family photographs,” Jackson said.
“I was willing to accept anything, but I didn’t know my ancestors’ migratory map included Europe.”
Dinna Ha, a 12th-grade Chinese/Vietnamese student who lives in South St. Louis, said that science made sense of the fact that all people originated in Africa.
“We’re international students, and we need to know more about our backgrounds,” Ha said.
Tyler McNeil, an African-American 11th-grader, said he had tried to trace ancestral roots before but didn’t turn up any results.
“It’s very enlightening because before the project, I had no idea where any of my ancestors came from,” McNeil said.
McNeil found that his ancestors went through Saudi Arabia, Iran and Iraq and ended up in Europe.
“I’m glad that I have such a diverse background because it makes us feel unique,” McNeil said.
“But it really blurs the lines of race and ethnicity because, we all have a common ancestry.”
Mansus said, “I’m thankful for IBM, Pfizer and UM-St. Louis, because without them this really couldn’t have happened. We’re on our way to becoming a 21st century school.”
