In Episode 9, we explore the topic of DNA testing. Growing up, we never knew our paternal grandfather—our father doesn’t even know who his father was. What we do know is that our paternal grandmother was descended from enslaved people brought from Mozambique at the end of the seventeenth century. But our grandfather’s identity remains a mystery—or perhaps closer to being revealed than we once thought.

Following the initial West African shipments in 1658, the Dutch increasingly turned to Mozambique and the broader East African coast for enslaved labor. These individuals came to be known, colloquially, as “Mozbiekers.”

After government and church records led nowhere, Sean turned to DNA testing—specifically through 23andMe, which has since filed for bankruptcy. What he uncovered revealed long-buried histories of race and class that had been hiding in plain sight. However, it also enables us to discuss the politics and economics of DNA testing.