 Genetic studies have shown the Igbo to cluster most closely with other Niger @-@ Congo @-@ speaking peoples . With genealogy tracing by means of DNA testing , the roots of the African diaspora is being uncovered by descendants of the victims of the Atlantic slave trade who are researching their family history . In the 2003 PBS programme African American Lives , Bishop T.D. Jakes had his DNA analyzed ; his Y chromosome showed that he is descended from the Igbo . American actors Forest Whitaker , Paul Robeson , and Blair Underwood have traced their genealogy back to the Igbo people . 
