Free DNA Test from 23andMe for Specific Immigrants

The DNA firm 23andMe is offering free DNA kits for a limited time, but only for specific members of the African diaspora.  This testing is not intended for those people whose ancestors were brought to the United States through the historic slave trade.  Rather, 23andMe is looking for more recent immigrants.  Before you request a kit or send the information to other people, make sure you (and they) fit the criteria.  If someone orders the test and doesn't fit the criteria, the company can withhold the results, since it is offering the service for free.  The below information is from the 23andMe Web site:

Please carefully review the eligibility requirements for this project.  Eligible individuals must:

1. have four (4) grandparents from the same sub-Saharan African country.  Countries of interest include Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone.
2. be 18 years of age,
3. have Internet access and be willing to take an online survey about ancestry and provide a saliva sample,
4. live in the United States in a state that allows 23andMe shipping.*

*Please note that we cannot ship or provide services to residents of the state of Maryland.

Only one free kit is permitted per family.  Family members of existing 23andMe customers are welcome to enroll in the project but are not eligibile for a free kit.

For more information, visit the project page.