About – Inside my DNA

“A people without knowledge of their past history, origin, and culture is like a tree without roots.”

Marcus Garvey, Pan-African activist, journalist and entrepreneur

In April 2022, I purchased a home DNA test kit, thinking that I could use it to answer the question ‘Where are you from?’But instead, it led me to reconcile that British colonial history only works to redefine the pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial lives and journeys of its subjects.

Learning about my genetic ancestry helped me to arrive at this conclusion because the DNA markers are geographically assigned to West Africa, Europe and the United Kingdom.

Whereas my parents, grandparents and great grandparents were born under colonial rule by the British, across a handful of different islands in the Caribbean. Namely, Trinidad and Tobago, St Vincent, Grenada and Union Island. The conditions of colonial rule meant that all of these family members were classified as British subjects (citizens), since birth. Despite living over 4,000 miles off the British mainland.

The findings of a 2023 YouGov poll identified that “out of 2,268 UK adults, 75% acknowledged that they did not know ‘very much’ or ‘anything at all’ about Black British history – despite 68% saying that they knew ‘a lot’ or a ‘fair amount’ about British history in general. Most UK adults also significantly underestimated the length of time that Black people have been living in Britain.” Source: Bloomsbury Publishing.

My aim therefore is to build a bridge, in some way, across this knowledge gap.

1958–1962 Flag of The Colony of Trinidad and Tobago

The Trinidad and Tobago Dollar (TTD), issued post Independence in 1962. The British Caribbean Currency Board (BCCB) issued the notes featuring a posthumous image of King George V1 on the $1 Note

Queen Elizabeth II on the $2 Note. At the time, all BCCB notes were printed at Debden Print works in Essex, England. These colonial bank notes remained in circulation until 1967.

I was fortunate to have known two of my late grandparents well enough to find out what they knew about our ancestors. My paternal grandad Whitfield was convinced that his surname ‘McTair’, represented Irish or Scottish heritage. And my maternal grandmother Paulina, claimed that her complexion, and hair texture were inherited traits from ancestors of Spanish and Indian ethnicity. Whilst my dad has lived his life being plagued by questions concerning the origins of both his and his mother’s distinct features, and whether they descended from ancestors in far east Asia. However, my family has always identified as African Caribbean which we acknowledge and celebrate through our shared cultural heritage and traditions.

Faithman and Priscilla Paulina Williams (nee Roberts), maternal Grandparents.

Dolyn Lewis (aka Clarabella Delcina Jones), maternal grandmother

Reuben McTair, my Dad

Whitfield McTair Snr. Paternal grandad

In 1962, my parents used their British citizenship to migrate to the UK and even though they were not known to each other at the time. Both had managed to arrive during the same period as thousands of working age people from throughout the British colonies of the Caribbean and Asia. They had come in response to over a decade of recruitment campaigns and job fairs organised by prospective UK based employers, in the colonial territories overseas. UK public sector employers present included the National Health Service, led by the former minister for health, Enoch Powell.

The British subjects from the Caribbean who moved to the UK in the post war era up until the 1970s are collectively referred to as ‘The Windrush Generation.’

However, my parents were not the only members of their families to leave the Caribbean in search of new opportunities overseas. Grandad Whitfield (paternal) arrived in America during the 1950’s and made a new life for himself in East Orange, New Jersey. Whilst many of my dad’s cousins were now spread out across the boroughs of New York City.

Mum’s Uncle Daniel and his wife Aunt Belle, were already settled in Ladbroke Grove, West London when she arrived. And Dad had his older cousin Titus from Union Island to watch out for him in Huddersfield. Which is where my parents eventually met, married and raised my older brother and I. This is also where I lived until it was time to leave for London at the age of 18 with hopes of attending the University of the Arts.

Mum and Dad on their Wedding Day, photographed outside of Huddersfield registry office

Outside Church in East Orange New Jersey, 1984. Top row, Grandad Whitfield and Uncle Rowan. Left to right, Our late mother Agatha McTair, Aunt Myrtle, Andrew (my brother) and me next to Adriana (cousin).

Post war migration was not exclusive to Black and Asian migrants from the colonies. However, for many, some territories were strictly off limits because ‘the colour bar’ imposed by the governments of New Zealand, Canada, The United States and South Africa meant they were only willing to accept people onto their resettlement schemes if they appeared to be of white/European origin. And by 1947, over 400,000 British people had left the United Kingdom in favour of Australia; under the proviso that they could go on to lead more prosperous lives over 10,000 miles away, from the desperate circumstances they had faced in Britain, both during, and in the aftermath of World War Two.

Source: Postwar immigration drive | Australia’s Defining Moments Digital Classroom | National Museum of Australia, nma.gov.au)