When White Nationalists Get DNA Tests That Reveal African Ancestry
The white-nationalist forum Stormfront hosts discussions on a wide range of topics, from politics to guns to The Lord of the Rings. And of particular and enduring interest: genetic ancestry tests. For white nationalists, DNA tests are a way to prove their racial purity. Of course, their results don’t always come back that way. And how white nationalists try to explain away non-European ancestry is rather illuminating of their beliefs.
Two years ago—before Donald Trump was elected president, before white nationalism had become central to the political conversation—Aaron Stormfront forum posts about genetic ancestry tests. They at the American Sociological Association meeting this Monday. (A is now online.) After the events in Charlottesville this week, their research struck a particular chord with the audience.
