DNA testing company apologises for ‘thoughtless’ interracial ad

Ancestry.com has apologised for an advertisement that showed a mixed-race couple discussing escaping to the North during the American Civil War era.

The ad drew widespread criticism on social media for whitewashing slavery, prompting the DNA testing company to remove it from TV and its YouTube channel. The ad is part of a campaign by Ancestry showing stories from the past to pique viewers’ curiosity about their ancestors. It depicts a white man holding up a ring and telling a black woman wearing Civil Warera clothing that they can be together if they escape to the North. The woman says nothing as the scene fades to black, with the line: ‘‘Without you, the story stops here.’’

Critics pointed out that the ad ignored the fact that mixed-race couplings during the slavery era were usually not romantic love stories but were instead due to rape and violence against slaves.

Many took to Twitter to complain about the ad. ‘‘This commercial spits on the trauma in our veins and the fight of our ancestors,’’ tweeted Brittany Packnett.

Ancestry said the ad was intended to be part of its effort to tell ‘‘important stories from history’’.

‘‘We very much appreciate the feedback we have received, and apologises for any offence that the ad may have caused,’’ the company said.

M J McCallum, creative director of marketing company Muse Communications, called the ad ‘‘thoughtless’’.

The Ancestry ad joins a long list of missteps by marketers that are at best tone-deaf and at worst racist.

In 2017, Dove stopped using a Facebook GIF that showed a black woman removing a brown shirt and transforming into a white woman. In February, Gucci pulled a sweater off the market after complaints that its oversized collar, designed to cover the face, resembled blackface makeup. –AP