As of Monday the 17th of March, David Paterson will be the Governor of New York State. Lt. Gov. Paterson recently sat down with Susan Arbetter of WHMT’s NYNOW to discuss the results of his genetic genealogy test results. Paterson is probably the first governor in the United States to have undergone genetic genealogy testing, and might be the highest government official to do so and then speak openly about it. These videos are very enjoyable, and it’s interesting to learn more about the future Governor.
In the first segment, Arbetter and Paterson discuss some of Paterson’s genealogy. They also discuss Paterson’s Y-DNA, which is of European origin. Arbetter writes on her blog: "On the Lt. Governor’s paternal side, like almost 25% of all African Americans, he’s got white progenitors from England, Ireland and Scotland."
In the second segment, Paterson starts out discussing his maternal ancestry and the West African origin of his mtDNA. Arbetter writes on her blog: "On his maternal side he has eastern European Jewish ancestry, as well as strong ties to what’s known as the Guinea Bissou region of West Africa which is now divided among Cameroon, Sierra Leone and Gambia."
In the final section, Arbetter and Paterson discuss issues of race and politics:
Arbetter blogged about Paterson’s DNA testing at "The Lt. Governor’s DNA: A Citizen of the World" and "Paterson’s Staff; Spitzer’s children."
2 Comments
Very interesting interviews. Thanks for sharing them.
I’m glad you enjoyed them!
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