An adopted college student in Georgia was shocked to learn this past December he had been attending the same university as his biological brother, unbeknownst to him. Now Kieron Graham, 20, has recently learned even more powerful information about his roots and biological family – and it involves African royalty.

Graham, a student at Kennesaw State University, discovered his biological older brother Vincent Ghant was also majoring in political science at KSU, after using a DNA testing kit his adopted parents gave him as a Christmas gift last year.

In an interview with Blavity, Graham said his adopted parents had always been supportive “from the get-go” in helping him and his three adopted siblings seek information about their biological families and roots. After the 20-year-old met his biological brother Ghant last December, he met his birth mother and younger biological brother soon after. Graham said the experience made him feel complete.

“I felt a sense of completion,” Graham told Blavity. “I met Vincent, my birth mother, my little brother… I met my grandparents on my birth mother’s side. They were all really accepting and happy to meet me.”

But Graham’s life-changing discoveries about his family roots didn’t end there. Earlier this month, AncestryDNA took the 20-year-old on a journey to Benin to explore – first-hand – more information about his family history and African roots since he used the company’s DNA testing kit last year.


During Graham's trip to the African nation, which was represented in his DNA, he learned a moving discovery that he's related to the daughter of the king of Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin, His Majesty King Toffa of Porto-Novo. Graham said once the discovery was made during his visit, everyone, including the king, became emotional.

Graham explained that the king then participated in a meeting with the leaders, and then held a traditional naming ceremony to give him a traditional family name. Graham was named, Abloh, representing strength.


"It’s really filled the holes I’ve had for most of my life," he said. "Ever since I was cognitively able to think about [it], I went from knowing nothing – I knew the color of my skin –  to finding my birth family, and experiencing the different culture of my ancestors…"

The 20-year-old told Blavity that he believes it's important for African-Americans and black people throughout the diaspora to learn about their family roots and African ancestry – especially considering much of it was erased through the slave trade. During his monumental trip in Benin, Graham visited the "Door of No Return" where Africans were held as captives and forced to leave the continent as slaves. He said the experience was "mind-boggling" and "emotional." 

"It was weird to think [that] my ancestors were most likely taken from that beach," he said. "It’s part of where my story comes from…"

Now with information about his biological family and African ancestry, Graham says he plans to journey back to Benin, and to bring his children he hopes to have in the future. He said he'll likely name his first son after his traditional given name, Abloh.

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