Aftershocks

by Nadia Owusu

We all like to see ourselves, reflected.

A study from New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital found that genetic changes stemming from the trauma suffered by Holocaust survivors were capable of being passed on to their children. Our genes change all the time when chemical tags attach themselves to the DNA and turn genes on or off. The study found that some of these tags—found in the genes of those survivors—were also found in their children. The changes led to an increased incidence of stress disorders. This passing down of environmentally altered genes is called epigenetic inheritance.

Wazungu can be applied to anyone who wanders but is most typically used to refer to white people, with the unspoken implication that white people are perpetual wanderers; that their privileges allow them to always be moving toward something, even when they don’t know what that something is.

It’s not about “no worries for the rest of your days,” but rather about carrying on despite those worries. It’s about acknowledging there are things in this world beyond your control. Things like the economy, the weather, and mothers.

We color in the outlines of our memories with our beliefs. In