Support Our Family's Birthright Trip to Sierra Leone

Seth Joyner Start Date: Feb 4, 2025 - End Date: Nov 3, 2025
  • Sierra Leone

My Travel Story

by: Seth Joyner Start Date: Feb 4, 2025 - End Date: Nov 3, 2025
My father and I are beyond blessed to share a deeply personal and truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reconnect with our heritage in a way that has never been possible. In honor of his long-lost mother, my father and I will be embarking on a birthright “family reunion” trip to Sierra Leone in November 2025 and humbly ask for your support to make this life-changing journey a reality!

Why there? Why now? And why grandma?

This trip is the culmination of years of genealogical research. While we're still tracing the history of my paternal grandmother in the US, she did leave us one gift: matrilineal DNA evidence has uncovered a specific genetic match between her and women of the Mende people of current-day Sierra Leone.

These DNA results mean that my father (and the rest of our family by extension) is eligible for Sierra Leonean citizenship through a singular partnership between AfricanAncestry.com and the government of Sierra Leone--marking a profound watershed moment for us to access both our past and a future of possibilities!

Launched in 2019, these African Ancestry Family Reunions are specifically curated, all-inclusive, birthright journeys. Traveling together with my father, we hope to make memories for the rest of our lives while we are both still able to, and before this window of opportunity closes.

Your donation will go toward airfare, accommodations, meals, citizenship application fees, and cultural activities. Any contribution you can make, no matter the size, will help bring us one step closer!

Experiences you’ll help create:
  • Visits to landmarks like Sierra Leone’s Bunce Island of "No Return”, where our enslaved ancestors were taken to the New World
  • Participation in cultural events to learn about the traditions of the Mende people and other ethnic groups in Sierra Leone, including a Mende naming ceremony for us

This journey is about more than just visiting a country—it’s about understanding our family’s deep connection to the land, the history of our ancestors, and the cultural legacy that has shaped who we are today. This trip will not only honor grandma's legacy, but will also allow us to strengthen our family’s bond through this shared experience and create a lasting connection to the land where our story began.

Your support will honor the resilience and strength of our ancestors and ensure that their legacy continues to inspire future generations of our family!

*photo/video credits:
africanancestry.com
https://www.wmf.org/projects/bunce-island
  • Sierra Leone