For most Black Americans, the family tree stops at a wall built by slavery. Dr. Gina Paige co-founded African Ancestry to tear down that wall. In this episode, she explains how her company uses DNA to trace Black people back to specific African countries and ethnic groups — not vague regions, not percentages, but actual present-day nations and peoples.
Gina walks Simma through the science in plain language, explains why African Ancestry gets results other DNA companies can’t, and talks about what happens inside people when they finally know where they come from. She also addresses the fears many Black Americans carry about genetic testing — Henrietta Lacks, Tuskegee, and who owns your DNA after you mail it in.
This conversation is about identity, agency, and reclaiming what slavery tried to erase.
Timestamps
02:15 — Meet Dr. Gina Paige The co-founder who started her first business at age 8 — before the internet.
04:30 — What African Ancestry actually does Tracing Black people back to specific African countries and ethnic groups before the transatlantic slave trade.
06:45 — From Colgate-Palmolive to Howard University How a corporate marketer partnered with a genetic researcher to build something that had never existed before.
09:20 — Why genealogy fails Black Americans Black people weren’t counted as human beings in US records until the 1870 census. DNA is the only way back.
11:30 — The science, made simple “If your mother’s yellow and your father’s blue, what color are you?” How mitochondrial DNA holds the key.
14:15 — Why everyone gets “Nigeria” from other DNA tests African Ancestry has 33,000+ samples from 35 African countries. The closest competitor has 6,000 — half of them Nigerian.
17:00 — How African Ancestry is different Other companies look at the mixing. African Ancestry looks at the lines that never mixed.
19:40 — Charlamagne Tha God and Ebro’s roots revealed Mende people in Sierra Leone. Masa people in Cameroon. Specific. Named. Real.
21:30 — What happens when people get their results “We don’t come from people who were enslaved. We come from doctors, healers, astronomers, philosophers, kings and queens.”
24:45 — Why erasing Black history is a losing game Gina on power, pride, and what oppressors don’t want you to know.
27:20 — Your DNA, protected African Ancestry is the only company that cannot sell or share your genetic data. The lab is contractually required to destroy your DNA after testing.
29:50 — The 23andMe bankruptcy and what happens to your DNA Why insurance companies and pharmaceutical firms should never have access to your genetic information without your knowledge.
32:10 — Henrietta Lacks, Tuskegee, and the case for participating anyway Gina’s honest answer to Black friends who refuse genetic testing out of fear.
36:00 — One test, one whole family Why Simma’s sister taking the test means Simma already has her answer — and so do 25 of her cousins.
39:15 — Citizenship, name changes, and going home The 12 people who gained Sierra Leonean citizenship. The artists, authors, and families whose lives changed after one result.
42:30 — What to look for in any at-home DNA test Gina’s three rules before you spit in a tube or swab your cheek.
Guest Bio
Dr. Gina Paige is co-founder and President of African Ancestry, Inc. In 2003, she pioneered a new way to trace African lineages through genetics. She has revealed the African roots of Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee, Condoleezza Rice, and the King family. A Washington, DC native and lifelong entrepreneur, Gina launched her first business at age eight and spent her early career running brands at Colgate-Palmolive and Sara Lee before building African Ancestry into the world’s largest collection of indigenous African lineage samples.
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Simma Lieberman, The Inclusionist, helps leaders create inclusive cultures. She is a consultant, speaker, and facilitator. Simma is the creator and host of the podcast, Everyday Conversations on Race.
Contact Simma@SimmaLieberman.com to get more information, book her as a speaker for your next event, help you become a more inclusive leader, or facilitate dialogues across differences.
Go to www.simmalieberman.com and www.raceconvo.com for more information
Simma is a member of and inspired by the global organization IAC (Inclusion Allies Coalition)
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