African Ancestry Traces Radio Titan Donnie Simpson's African Roots to Cameroon During NCNW's National Black Family Reunion Celebration; Other Surpri

Washington, DC (PRWEB) September 13, 2008 -- In an historic reveal ceremony, African Ancestry, Inc. and the National Council for Negro Women's (NCNW) President Emerita Dr. Dorothy I. Height, unveiled Donnie Simpson's African roots originating in Cameroon. DC-based African Ancestry, the pioneers of ancestry tracing for people of African descent in the U.S. partnered with the NCNW to celebrate Black families during the National Black Family Reunion Celebration from September 6 -- 7.

While Simpson learned that he shares ancestry with the Hausa and Tikar people of Cameroon, NBC broadcaster Keith Garvin was surprised, but elated, to learn his maternal roots traced back to the Eastern Baltic region of the world indicating that the first woman on that side of his family may have been from Finland, Poland or Russia.

"At some point along his maternal line, there was a non-African woman," said Gina Paige, President and Co-Founder of AfricanAncestry.com. "Now that only happens in about 6 percent of the people we test, so that makes him very unique, but it also does not mean that he's not African-American ... he clearly is," added Paige.

In a simple swabbing of the inside of the cheek with cotton swabs several weeks ago, Simpson and Garvin were one step away from the historic milestone of learning where their bloodlines originated.

African Ancestry processes the samples with the latest in DNA technology. Employed in that process is African lineage matching from its proproietary database of more than 25,000 indigenous African DNA -- the largest of its kind and collected over 12 years by African Ancestry co-founder and Globally recognized Geneticist, Dr. Rick Kittles. Washington D.C.'s Chief of Staff Alfreda Davis found her lineage in Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone during the reveal ceremony; and Dr. Height traced her roots with African Ancestry several years ago to Sierra Leone.

For details on DNA-based ancestry tracing go to www.africanancestry.com. For press inquiries concerning African Ancestry contact Traci Johnson at traci@taylorcommunicationsgroup.com. Photos are available at traci@taylorcommunicationsgroup.com.

About African Ancestry

Founded in 2003 on years of research, African Ancestry, Inc. is the ancestry tracing company that pioneered African lineage matching in the United States utilizing its proprietary DNA-database of more than 25,000 African DNA lineages to more accurately assess present-day country of origin for people of African descent. Since its inception, African Ancestry's lineage reveals have impacted the lives of more than 100,000 people in the U.S. from communities at large to global leaders such as Oprah Winfrey, Tom Joyner and Reverend Jesse Jackson. African Ancestry has been featured across the globe in outlets such as CNN's Black in America series, 60 Minutes, Essence Magazine and as part of the ground-breaking PBS special "African American Lives 1 & 2" with Skip Gates. African Ancestry is African-American-owned and operated and headquartered in Washington, DC. For press inquiries, contact Taylor Communications Group at info @ taylorcommunicationsgroup.com.

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