Race and It's Complexity

Minah Whyte
9/21/16

In the documentary, “Race the power of an illusion,” answers the common misconceptions about race. Race is often rooted in beliefs about biology, and has been used, most famously in the United States as a means to differentiate human beings. This categorization, along with the history of biological backing has led to generational confusion and unproductive understandings about race. In the contemporary United States, race is often regarded as a “social construct,” therefore imaginary. However, people still have to race-based beliefs. In the documentary, students were testing their DNA to see their genetic similarities and that they would be more genetically closer to those they shared similar racial background. These short answers give a glimpse to the larger and more pervasive issue of “race” and how it affects how we view ourselves and those around us. More importantly,  we can argue that the ideas of identity, interpersonal relationships or genes is based in a historical and political context.

In Golash-Boza’s book, “Race and Racisms,” she uses the United States as a case study for the development of “the races.” Contrary to popular belief, the first black Africans were brought the United States in 1619 as indentured servants. Golash-Boza, points economic interests as the reason for racial separation and the creation of racial differences. To prevent both black and white indentured servant uprising, racial distinctions were made to keep the “the planter elite class” intact. Yet, our categorization of “races” as we know today can not be explained with the promotion of 18th century scientific racism. Scientific racism justified European superiority, beginning from the early accounts with Carolus Linnaeus to the 1930’s eugenics movement.

However, through pieces such as Ta-nehisi Coates’ article, “A Case for Reparations,” not only did our colonial and slave history affect the way we view race, but also through continued social and political structures, that were never extinguished to begin with. Besides the approximate 250 years of slavery in the United States, he uses Jim Crow laws, the age of “separate but equal” and racist housing policies to build his argument. From the mid-1600’s and onwards, the United States has built its great economy and institutions that favor white supremacy.

Through reading these various pieces, and especially Golash-Boza’s historical timeline of how racial formation began in the United States, I also came to a self-realization. Often, I mostly thought of race as a social structure, and defined by those in power. However, race is also the meanings and values we attach to phenotype. In the United States especially, we believe that if we know someone’s race we are better able to identify their cultural and moral values. However, people are also just people. The four racial categories are such big umbrellas that are suppose to encompass countries, and only selective parts of people’s culture, that it is ridiculous. Race is complex and also multi-faceted. Phenotype can not be the only explanation of race, without a historical context and acknowledging that it often in falsely based in biology.

Work Cited

Golash-Boza, Tanya (2016). Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach Brief Edition. New York: Oxford.

Coates, Ta-Nehisi (2014 June). “The Case for Reparations.” The Atlantic. <http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/>

Herbes-Sommers, Strain, Smith (2003). Race: The Power of Illusion (Episode 1: The Difference Between Us). In California Newsreel. PBS Documentary.