It was one of my most painful childhood memories and it made me ashamed to be Black. 

My name is Anthony Clark. When  I was in the 3rd grade I had a White teacher named Mrs. Kunofsky who gave my class our first ethnic history lesson. She started by telling the White kids about all of the amazing contributions that their European ancestors had made in the world since the beginning of recorded history.  And of course, it made all of the White kids feel extremely proud and connected to their European ancestors as they rightfully should.

Then it was the Black kids' turn to learn about our African history and ancestors and we all got excited. But the teacher didn't go back thousands of years as she did with my White classmate's European history.  Instead, Mrs. Kunofsky began with the Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

She showed us drawings of African slaves and they were dirty, naked, and chained up like animals. Then she proceeds to tell us that our African ancestors didn't make any significant contributions to history and never had a culture. Every Black kid in the class was just as shocked, disappointed, and humiliated as I was and some of our White classmates were even making fun of us. 

After that history lesson we all hated our African lineage, we hated being Black, and without realizing it we hated ourselves. When I went to bed that night I cried myself to sleep and never told my parents what had happened. That traumatic experience lowered the self-image, self-worth, and self-confidence of every Black kid in the class including myself.  It made us develop a negative perspective about our past that would negatively impact and limit our futures in more ways than you could ever imagine. And almost every Black person I've know has had the same racial experience and childhood trauma.

As I became an adult I started doing research I discovered that my 3rd grade teacher was dead wrong. Not only did my African ancestors have a longer cultural history than any other race on the planet, but they also made more contributions to the world than any other race on the planet. This excited me and made me want to learn more about my African culture and lineage. 

And like most Black Americans, my African family lineage was lost during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. I could only trace my ancestry back two to three generations which always made me feel sad and incomplete as a person. So I purchased a genetic DNA test kit for a couple of hundred dollars and discovered that my ancestors were from the Bantu tribe in West Africa.  

I literally sat on the floor and cried like a child. I felt an overwhelming sense of disbelief, grief, and relief that was beyond words. I was in my 50's and for the first time in my life I felt a true sense of pride, place and belonging and my soul finally exhaled. I couldn't stop thinking about how empowering it would be if all Black kids, including myself, knew and felt connected to their great African culture and ancestral legacy at an early age. This inspired me to start True Legacy Foundation (TLF).
 
For years, I tried to figure out ways I could help heal and empower my Black community in a way that would not cause more hatred or racial division. And I realized that starting True Legacy Foundation was the best way for me accomplish that goal. TLF is a non-profit organization that raises funds to purchase DNA kits for Black youth in our underserved communities. Our mission is to connect as many of them as possible to their African Roots

Research has shown that the more a Black child knows about their family history the more it increases his/her self-image and self-confidence. And the more they feel connected to themselves, their community, and to the world. As a result, they will experience more happiness and success in life overall.  When you know your past it opens up doors to your future, and expands your possibilities.

Slave owners intentionally disconnected our African ancestors from their family, their great history, and rich culture. They stole their true identity and in return gave their African descendants (Us), a fake identity that they knew we would be ashamed of and that would make us hate ourselves. Therefore, if taking away our true legacy was one of the main things done to keep our people down and dis-empowered, then taking back our true legacy is one of the main things we should do to finally uplift and empower our people.

All DNA kits will be purchased exclusively through AfricanAncestry.com. Here are 5 reasons why we chose them:

1. They have the world's largest database of African lineage.
2. They destroy your DNA samples once your results are determined.
3. They tell you your present-day African country and your ancestral tribe.
4. They provide you with information about your country, tribe, and culture.
5  They are a Black owned business and we support Black owned business.


Who Will Receive a Kit?

DNA kits will be gifted to under served Black youth (male and female) between the age of 12 and 23. Each potential recipient must submit a short video explaining why they want to receive a kit and complete a questionnaire. Our board members will then gift the kits to applicants they feel will benefit the most. Our goal is to eventually be able to provide kits for any underserved youth that wants one.

If you truly want to help to heal and empower the Black community and make this world a better place for all of humanity, donating DNA kits to underserved Black youth is one of the fastest, easiest, and smartest ways to accomplish that. 

And although slavery no longer exists, our true identity is the most precious thing that has been stolen from black people and has never been returned. 

Helping our children to finally get it back is the most meaningful and spiritually rewarding thing that you will ever do in life.

Please make a donation to TLF today and reconnect a Black youth to their African roots.