A passing sadness for the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski. I'm just not exactly sure what I am supposed to be sad about.

Mostly, I guess, there is something of a kinship emanating from our shared Polish ancestry (one I also share with Ted Kaczynski, the Unabomber....but I digress). There is certainly something unique about knowing where you come from.

I have never bothered to learn the Polish language. I do not belong to the local Polish Cultural Club. I do not volunteer to help Polish immigrants acclimate to their new environment here in the United States. I don't follow the national soccer team. I don't even really like the food (holidays only thanks......... I can make pierogi, however).

And the idea of ancestry as identity has only limited logic behind it. Most of America is of decidedly mixed heritage. Inter-marriage among successive generations of immigrants increase progressively over time. Most of mixed ancestry that I know neither know nor care about their ancestry. Somehow, my family has managed to marry 100% Polish since immigrating around the World War I. And, I can say that I do not really care about my heritage except in a very superficial way. Very little of my identity is formed from my Polish lineage.

I have long believed, however, that the lack of ancestral identity slowed the process for African Americans to assimilate into mainstream American society (whether assimilation is a good thing remains in question). Unfortunately, it seems the identity taught to all Americans from a very young age of African Americans is that of the "ex-slave". It seems to me to be extraordinarily demeaning and damaging to think of another or oneself as a descendant of a slave, at least as one's primary identity. It seems to me, to overly simplify a complex social issue, that seeing a person as an ex-slave (identity as being passed generation to generation) implies that person also once had a master, and thus binds people to what inevitably becomes ancient conflict.

There can be no doubt that the residue of slavery still exists not only in how different races treat each other in the U.S., but in how people see themselves. The identity formation is consistent, no matter how we react to it. White kids learn that people who looked just like them once subjugated people of a different color and treated them as less than human (this can be extended to other conflicts as well, such as Native Americans, but we shall limit this discussion to prevent the scope from escaping us). How does one react to this information? Among the possibilities:

1) Disassociate from heritage. My family did not come to America until after slavery ended. Therefore, I had nothing to do with it.

2) Disassociate by distance of time. It was 150 years ago! I was not born, nor was anyone I know!

3) Cultural Relativity. It was considered ok for their culture.

4) The Apologetic type. I am so sorry for what my ancestors did. How can I make it up to you?

5) National crisis. It was a terrible thing that America did. America should ask for forgiveness.

There may be others. I am trying to think things through, but I am not writing an academic paper. African Americans are identified even more at their core with slavery, even if they had nothing to do with the institution. I wonder how much more healthy America would be if we all had an ancestral identity as strong as mine with Poland. In this example, what if African Americans knew of their heritage. Most do not know family names. They do not know what village or tribe or region of Africa their ancestors came from. Many cannot form a family tree that goes back farther than slavery. Slavery.......as ancestral origin of identity......... how terrible! I know that there have been cultural movements that have attempted to escape this conundrum of identity. People have embraced traditional African culture, dress, music, onomatology, etc.

It does not seem to be enough to just call ourselves American. It is difficult to break with heritage and make the conscious choice to convert one's identity if there is no point of origin to break from. Imagine, for example, that you are in a boat in the middle of the ocean. You have a map. You know where you want to go. Unfortunately, you do not know where you are coming from. Thus, how can you know which direction you are supposed to go to get to your destination? Somehow, I believe the answer to this question could solve many problems in this world of ours.