"58% of the African American community has at least 12.5 percent European ancestry which is the equivalent of one great grand parent."

This revelation comes from Henry Louis Gates Jr., Executive Director and host of the PBS series, Faces of America.

Gates is also Director of the W.E.B. DuBois Institute for African and African American Research at Harvard University.

"Skip" Gates has used genealogy and genetics to trace families histories.

The opening statistic I used to magnify universal black history implies that the focus for better understanding must be global, rather than just USA based (for Americans).

Dr. Gates is set to expand his future footprint as he'll be bringing us The Black Americas, a four hour TV series examining black culture in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Gates notes that "Brazil is the 2nd largest black nation in the world after Nigeria."

African global migration out of the continent following the dawn of man has fostered complicated African - European and African - Asian ancestry.

Runoko Rashidi (pictured here), a historian, research specialist, writer, world traveler, and public lecturer focusing on the African foundations of world civilizations is an expert in this area.

He has made presentations at more than 125 colleges, universities, secondary schools, libraries, book stores, churches and community centers.

Traveling the international circuit Runoko has lectured in over 50 countries.

Some of Dr. Rashidi's expertise:

1. The African Presence in India - black presence in India in ancient and modern times
2. The African presence in Southeast and East Asia - black presence in ancient Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, China and Japan
3. The African presence in the Americas - African presence in the Americas from ancient to modern times
4. The African presence in the Middle East - African presence in Southwest Asia from ancient to modern times
5. The Black presence in South Asia - India, Pakistan, Bangladesh from ancient to modern times
6. The African Presence in Europe - the African presence in early Europe
7. High in the Andes - Runoko's travels in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia
8. Return to the Nile Valley - a comprehensive look at the African presence in ancient Egypt and Nubia
9. Runoko Rashidi Live in Egypt - Interviews in Egyptian museums and temples
10. Who is the Original Man? - A look at Africa as the Mother Continent of humanity
11. Asia and Blacks - A television interview featuring Runoko Rashidi on the African presence in ancient and modern Asia

These are some of his DVD titles that explore the global presence of black people.

Black history cross-cultural interconnections are fascinating.