Loving My Akan and Yoruba DNA Roots
I am a man of Black African descent with a Geechee and Gullah heritage. On the one hand, Gullah refers to the enslaved people (and their descendants) who were brought to the present limits of the United States of America (USA) from Africa and elsewhere as well as the language they brought with them. On the other hand, Geechee refers to the Gullahs (and their descendants) who ran away from enslavement by White slave-holders, joined the Seminole Nation as Maroon partisans, and fought alongside American Indians in the three Seminole Wars against the USA and White slaveholders. The First Seminole War took place from 1816 to 1818. The Second Seminole War lasted seven years from 1835 to 1842. The Third Seminole War occurred from 1855 to 1858. The grandmother of my mother’s father was a Geechee and a Black Seminole. Whereas his name was Augustus Manson Frazier, her name was Bessie “Bess” Frazier. He is buried in Wayne County, Georgia. She is buried in Camden County, Georgia.
I have long wondered about the ethnic groups, also known as tribes, which I come from in Africa. A company known as AfricanAncestry.com has developed a trademarked test which can indicate which ethnic groups my DNA can be traced to. During 2016, I ordered a kit and followed the instructions for accessing my DNA with swabs. I then sent the swabs to AfricanAncestry.com. About eight weeks later I got a report and certificate indicating that my Y chromosome can be traced to the Akan people in Ghana through my father Jimmie Lee Cromartie. I also received a report and certificate indicating that my X chromosome can be traced to the Yoruba people in Nigeria through my mother Julia Frazier Cromartie Boyd. I love the fact that I have Akan and Yoruba DNA roots.
Both of my parents are deceased as well as their parents. However, I now know the source of my Black African descent. During October 2017, I went to Ghana to present a paper at a conference held at the University of Ghana, Legon, which is located in the capitol, namely Accra. The conference was held under the auspices of the African Studies Association of Africa (ASAA) of which I am a member. The title of my paper was “W. E. B. Du Bois, Pan-African Ideas, and Pan-African Actions: Remembering the Founder of the Pan-African Congress Movement.”
While in Ghana, I got a chance to explore some historical sites and points of interest. In Accra, I visited the W. E. B. Du Bois Memorial Centre for Pan African Culture where the great Black sociologist, political activist, Pan-Africanist, and poet once lived and is now buried. I also visited the George Padmore Memorial Library where the great Black philosopher, political activist, and Pan-Africanist is now buried. In addition, I visited the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park where the great Black philosopher, political activist, first head of state, and Pan-Africanist is now buried in a mausoleum.
To explore my roots in Ghana, I visited the so-called Elmina Castle and so-called Cape Coast Castle. Both places were enslavement “factories” wherein countless Africans were shipped through each “Door of No Return.” It was a cathartic experience to lay my eyes on both. Since I am an Akan on my paternal side, it is quite possible that my ancestor, through my father, was once forced to go through one of the two doors.
My trip to Ghana lasted one week. It was my first trip to Ghana, but not my last. In the future, I plan to go to Nigeria so that I can see the land of my Yoruba people. I anticipate that I will enjoy that trip as much as I did my trip to Ghana. 
Author’s Note. This photograph comes from the J. Vern Cromartie Archives and shows the grave of W. E. B. Du Bois in Accra, Ghana during October 2017.
Author’s Note. This photograph comes from the J. Vern Cromartie Archives and shows him standing near the doorway to dungeon where enslaved male Africans were kept at the so-called Elmina Castle in Ghana’s Cape Coast area before they were shipped in the nefarious Middle Passage. The photograph was made during October 2017.
–J. Vern Cromartie
This brief article was first published in the Winter 2018 issue of the California Sociological Association Bulletin.