DAR--anyone here belong or making steps to join after DNA

I've thought about it for DD (I'm nowhere near American enough for it LOL), but I'm not really sure what the benefit would be. Can you illuminate?

No. Admittedly I don't know very much about DAR, and I'm sure they do some good charitable or historical work, but it feels almost a little xenophobic in the current political climate. I wouldn't be comfortable joining a group that feels a little like "I've verified my white puritanical roots!"

My father said his mother and her mother belonged.
I should find out more, because my DNA test came back with that side of the family being more middle eastern than Irish(white).

I'm also eligible, my grandmother was a very active member and I have no interest whatsoever.

I toyed with the idea for a while but didn't feel like doing the work. Then I found out that the stories my uncle told when I was a kid were all lies. lol Funny thing is HE is the one to do the work and shoot down his lies! So that's out for me, however had I bothered to gather the info to try I'd have found the lie much sooner, and I wouldn't have told my Kids the lie.

Hey, you win some you loose some, at least now I don't have confirmed slave owners for ancestors. ALL of my ancestors came here within 3 generations ( great grand parents ) of me now. And I do have documentation for that.

I say go for it you don't know what you'll learn!

My aunt was active in her local chapter, but I've never found a compelling reason to join. 

This is a really good summary of why the D.A.R. is controversial.

www.nytimes.com/2012/07/04/nyregion/for-daughters-of-the-american-revolution-more-black-members.html

Why join DAR then? It literally is a group of people who have verified their families were part of the group most likely to have slaves. 

What's the appeal? 

YOu always have a great resource for what you post. I appreciate that!

It seems they're making an effort. But it's good to know (if someone gives you side-eye about it) why they might be doing so. 

^^^  I agree! That's a really interesting article.  My great-grandparents (I think it's only one 'great') all came over from Sweden and Germany, so there's nothing like this in my family heritage.  

But if there was, I think I'd want to join; having family history back to the Revolution is really neat!!  And if they do 'good works' and help preserve / uncover historical information about the people who were there, then that sounds like a GOOD thing, to me.  Not everyone during that time was a slave owner, and if someone in your family lived in the US at the time, then why not join?  It sure as heck won't ever get more diverse if everyone keeps the (apparently mistaken) attitude of 'it's a white organization.'

ETA:  I just read the posts that talk about how restrictive the proof that you need is... sounds to me like they could / should make it easier for people to join if the family history shows the lineage, not just the marriage certificates, etc.  

My grandmother and my aunt were both members of the DAR, so I could join and might do so someday.

I seriously thought about joining a local chapter when I was living in Texas, but they required members to commit to a pretty hefty number of volunteer hours, and I was already heavily involved in another volunteer organization which took up a bunch of my time. The local chapter often brought in notable speakers and the programs were open to anyone who wanted to attend.

My ancestors were never slaveholders, as far as I know. My ancestors who fought in the American Revolution were ordinary farmers from upstate New York.

I think it's great that the DAR is actively recruiting black and Native American members and recognizing the contributions of those groups to the American Revolution. The Marian Anderson incident is a dark stain on the history of the DAR, but there are lots of organizations that are around to today which have a history of segregation, but have embraced change and evolved. For some reason, I always think of professional baseball as an organization which used to bar Black players, but now has players of all nationalities and races. If we can forgive professional baseball for its ugly segregationist past, why not forgive the DAR?

I am a genealogist and can document and qualify for the DAR on two of my lines. My mother's family has been here from before it was a country and several fought in the revolutionary war. I realized years ago I could join but for some reason it never interested me. Maybe sub consciously because I don't much care for exclusionary groups.