My Personal History of Race

A short essay about how genetics, race, and PTSD can go hand in hand. Cheyenne writes about the effects of both childhood trauma and epigenetic trauma. She writes of being bullied badly as a mixed-race child and teen in Southern Indiana. "When I got older, people started to ask, 'What are you mixed with?' like I was some kind of baked good." She eventually takes DNA tests and researches her family history with some surprising and clarifying results. "I often wish I had others with just the same 'blend' as me to feel a sense of community," she writes, "but I take comfort in the fact that others that are multi-racial know what I'm talking about. We are not alone."

Don't forget to check out Part 2!