Epigenetics is one of the new buzzwords researchers are using to help us understand the behavior of humans. Previous to now, there has been the argument of nature or nurture; is behavior a result of our genes or are we influenced by our environment? Common sense tells us that both are involved in how we develop.
Epigenetics is helping to shed some light on this dilemma. Basically, according to the Oxford Dictionary, it is “The study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression, rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.
“Epigenetics is an emerging area of scientific research that shows how environmental influences—children’s experiences—actually affect the expression of their genes. This means the old idea that genes are “set in stone” has been disproven. Nature vs. Nurture is no longer a debate. It’s nearly always both!”
According to another source, “Role of Environmental factors in Gene Expression” (www.weforum.org/agenda/2021/06/this-is-how-our-gene-…) the expression of genes in an organism can be influenced by the environment, including the external world in which the organism is located or develops, as well as the organism’s internal world, which includes such factors as its hormones and metabolism.
Finally, an article, “Trauma of slavery and epigenetics” (collective-healing.org/2018/10/15/trauma-of-slavery-and-epigenetics/), states “Recent epigenetic studies have shown that stress, socio-economic deprivation, racism and other traumatic experiences of our ancestors can play a part in turning on or off certain genes in our DNA. That is to say, for instance, the trauma of slavery can be passed on transgenerationally.”
There you have it; the concrete proof that is needed to lay the foundation of what slavery and white supremacy have contributed to the destruction of Black people!
It is amazing, in this day and age, to see how right-wing conservatives attempt to deny any culpability in the part they have played in the subjugation and mistreatment of Black people. It is common to hear them say, “I had nothing to do with slavery because today my family and I don’t own slaves.”
Basically, they attribute all of the ills suffered by Black people to the implied notion of “savagery and inferiority.” They point to the problems in the Black community of crime and poverty as an indication that Black people are just inherently bad actors and, by extension, totally responsible for their plight in America.
The truth, however, is that Black people have been severely damaged by slavery, and the dysfunction is still apparent today! Epigenetics bears this out. This may be the reason why there is a move on to whitewash Black history by attempting to erase the truth of slavery’s past.
For 246 years, Black people in America were treated literally like animals; we were not considered to be 100 percent human. They even labored under the ridiculous notion that Black people didn’t suffer pain like white people, and thought us to be on the level of animals with questionable sentience. They ensured that the self-esteem of Blacks was as far into the gutter as possible.
Could this be why so many of our young people, especially those involved in popular culture, refer to themselves as “dogs,” Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, Lil etc.… Is this why home is considered a “crib,” i.e., the domain of babies who lack maturity or who have been stuck in a mode of arrested development? Is this why too many families are broken to such an extent that a growing number of the newer generations are actually voicing the sentiment that they are giving up on the concept of marriage?
Considering the foregoing, there’s no doubt that the oppression meted out to Black people by a certain class of white people has inflicted serious generational damage to the Black genome, which has impacted the community socially, economically, psychologically and spiritually!
And this may be one of the main reasons there is push-back on the teaching of accurate Black history. This may also be why there is a move on to suppress the Black vote! Politics is the one arena that can help level the playing field because people, voting in unity, can actually influence the American landscape!
As has been said by many, VOTE like your life depends upon it, because it does! Unified we can turn the oppressive tide in our favor and help overcome the ravishes of a modified epigenetic situation to give nature a much-needed boost! A Luta Continua!
