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Many Americans have African ancestry — even those who do not identify as Black. (Thinkstock)

According to a new study, six million Americans who classify themselves as White have some African ancestry. For the study, which was conducted by the American Journal of Human Genetics, researchers looked at records of individuals using the genetic testing service 23andMe.com who identified as European, African and Latino descent. They deduced that 3.5 percent of White Americans have 1 percent or more African ancestry. Whites from the south are more likely to have African ancestry than Whites from other regions. “European Americans with African ancestry comprise as much as 12% of European Americans from Louisiana and South Carolina and about 1 in 10 individuals in other parts of the South,” according to the study. They also noted that people who were 15 percent African or less generally don’t describe themselves as African-American, while those who were 50 percent African or greater almost universally did. Read more.


President Obama on State of Black America: ‘We’re Starting Behind’

President Obama has often been criticized for tiptoeing around discussing race relations in our country; but during a year-end press conference that took place last week, he took the opportunity to address the issue head on. After being asked about the state of African Americans today, President Obama shared that there are still lingering issues that affect the Black community. He noted that Black Americans are still plagued by a huge income gap in comparison to whites and that the problem stems from “a legacy of a troubled racial past.” He discussed how African Americans are starting with a disadvantage and that in order to improve the state of Black America, Americans must provide people with a “hand up” and not a “hand-out.” During the press conference he also spoke about injustices within our legal system and how it’s crucial to address our hidden biases. “Sometimes our institutions and our systems don’t work as well as they should. Sometimes you’ve got a police department that has gotten into bad habits over a period of time and hasn’t maybe surfaced some hidden biases that we all carry around,” he said. According to a new Gallup poll, Americans believe racism is the country’s most important problem since 1992. Read more.


Rapper Drake to Rebrand the Toronto Raptors By 2016

When he’s not working on music, Aubrey ‘Drake’ Graham is often spotted court side at sporting events. The Toronto-bred rapper plans to take his love for sports to new heights. The Young Money artist plans to re-brand the Toronto Raptors by 2016. Graham currently serves as the team’s global ambassador. Earlier this week, he hosted “Drake Night” at the Air Canada Centre during one of the Raptors games where he gifted nearly 19,000 fans with custom made t-shirts from his October’s Very Own line. Graham said he is excited for what’s on the horizon for the NBA franchise. “I think people are going to be floored with what we have in store for next season … It’s gone really well. We have some exciting things in the works. It’s going to be a full rebrand,” said Drake. “ Read more.

Study: 6 Million White Americans Have Some African Ancestry  was originally published on newsone.com