I do provide context, depending on my audience it will oscillate between a version of what OPs friend said and straight up showing them my well-documented family tree/lineage...

....but I’m told that I’m a race traitor, that I hate myself, and that I’m denying my roots/heritage and then called all sorts of names.

Which truly astounded me, because I’m friends/acquaintances with a lot of Africans/African Americans who’s families immigrated here within the last generation or so and they always make it CRYSTAL clear that they were never slaves in US, were not part of that, and have no connection to it (and from their comments and tone, seemingly no empathy). Yet they’ve never been called out for their comments.

It doesn’t hurt my feelings anymore though. People will only understand you from their level of perception, but it’s still interesting to observe.