NYTN
What did America pass down to us and what do we do with it now?
Join me for historical deep dives, cultural archaeology, and family stories that challenge what we thought we knew.
I'm Danielle Romero. M. Ed., and my content is all about exploring the nuances of American identity and unearthing hidden historical narratives. My great grandmother Lola left her heritage behind in Louisiana when she moved to NY in the 1930s. I decided to uncover our family story and begin finding our roots. I'm still on the journey of hidden heritage, genealogy and finding out how our family history fits in the context of community history!
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NYTN
How did Italians "become" White in America? WAIT? They weren't White?! Well.... it's complicated. introducing my 100% PRIMARY sourced video that you can check for yourself. Disagree with the sources, but don't kill the messenger!
3 hours ago (edited) | [YT] | 43
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NYTN
Friday's video started as one question: how did Italians end up on the "white" side of the color line? The paper trail goes back further than I expected.
4 days ago | [YT] | 1,153
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NYTN
Hey y'all, quick note for anyone being sent here about Friday's Great Dismal Swamp video. I value transparency and want to fill you in.
Last week was the 9th anniversary of losing my daughter Emmanuelle June, who was stillborn after a terminal diagnosis. I wasn't in a great headspace and something slipped that normally wouldn't. I love sharing my sources in videos and always point you to them. Every video I say "don't take my word for it."
Well last Friday I forgot to paste my source list into the description box. A woman whose website appeared in the video reached out upset, and she had every right to be. I fixed it immediately. But she's still going after me and it appears she's bringing more people into it now.
I'm not making excuses because forgetting to credit sources is on me. But since people are being sent over to bother me, wanted to give y'all the context.
update: a video I made to explain today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OnP-...
5 days ago (edited) | [YT] | 394
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I replied to a few really shocking comments this week, go check out today's AMA!
5 days ago | [YT] | 41
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Hey all, no AMA this Sunday, sorry about that. I've got the script written but wasn't up to recording today. Friday's video is a big one though, all about how race science labeled Italian Americans as inferior and how that reshaped who counted as white in America. See you Friday!
1 week ago | [YT] | 236
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NYTN
THURSDAY THROWBACK!
For decades, my family lived with a "hush-hush" history. In this pivotal episode of my investigation, the silence is finally broken. I go to Louisiana for the first time.
From DNA results that sparked screams of shock at a family lunch to the terrifying reality of why our ancestors in Louisiana felt they had to hide their heritage to survive, this video explores the trauma and the triumph of the Creole experience.
We discuss the "brown paper bag test," the segregation of movie theaters, and the literal danger of being a person of color with land in the Jim Crow South. This is the truth that was meant to stay buried.
1 week ago | [YT] | 69
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Was the one drop rule for the whole country? or just the South ? Let me know what you think before you swipe for the answer!
1 week ago | [YT] | 458
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family photo dump!
1-- Me and my brothers w/ my grammy Marion (Im on the bottom right)
2--Uncle Alphonse
3--Uncle Alphonse (taken in NY)
4--Grandma Lola---maybe around the 1960s? (Alphonse and my Grammy's mom)
5---My first time in Campti, Louisiana, looking for my roots.
1 week ago | [YT] | 411
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NYTN
I've been deep in the records for this one and I cannot wait to share it with you.
We're going into the counties, the migrations, the spelling changes, and yes, the Hebrew given names. All the paper trail, all in one place.
What surname has you stuck in your own tree? SEE YOU FRIDAY!!
1 week ago | [YT] | 297
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NYTN
This Friday's video: the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp! 🌲
I just finished editing and it's a 25-minute deep dive, the longest I've done on a single community. We'll discuss the self-emancipated free people inside a slave state, hidden in a million acres of cypress for close to two hundred years ... (and missing from the census on purpose).
Plus I'll be sharing how to grab a free download of surnames tied to these communities, so if your Virginia or North Carolina line goes cold before 1870, that list might be the piece you've been missing!! Im so excited about this video.
Have you heard of the Great Dismal Swamp??
See you Friday :)
xo dani
1 week ago | [YT] | 326
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