Revision: Race is Nothing but a Bunch of People Running

Malcolm Smith

http://www.cbcdiversity.com/post/58272376339/15-authors-who-promote-diversity-in-author-visits

When it comes debatable topics in America there are some topics that are sure to evoke strong conversations. Politics, religion are just a few and we can go ahead and add race to that list. Aside from gender the first thing many probably notice about a person is their race. It is how many easily associate or disassociate themselves from a group of people. Sometimes thinking that there is this difference between their race and another persons but according to Pilar Ossorio, Professor of Law and Bioethics at the University of Wisconsin Law School, there really isn’t much of a difference. She says, “There’s as much or more diversity and genetic difference within any racial group as there is between people of different racial groups.” Which ultimately means, race means nothing. Right?

In a report Michael Hadjiargyrou, Chair of the Department of Life Sciences at the New York Institute of Technology backs up this theory where he says “data shows that the DNA of any two human beings is 99.9% identical, and we all share the same set of genes” So, if there is no biological differences between blacks, hispanics, asians and whites then we all must be the same. We're all just a box of crayons, our color is different but we're all made up of the same wax inside.

This may be true on a scientific level however when we view race on a sociological level we aren’t always so similar, especially here in America. Race as a social construct has many different layers. Tanya Maria Golash-Boza author of Race and Racisms: A Critical Approach hits the on the point that race can often determine things like where you work and what type of school you’ll attend (Pg. 40) on surface that doesn’t sound too bad but when it boils down to it if you’re not white then that probably isn’t going to work so well in your favor. Race is a very strong part of one’s life when living in America. But when we shift the focus from this social concept to a scientific concept many scientist agree with Ossorio, that when race comes into the picture of science and biology it means nothing. There is no such thing as black brain, or an asian heart and what simply differentiates us are our phenotypes.

I personally identify as black, I used to have such a simplistic way of thinking of race and I still kind of do. Race is just a group of people that share physical and cultural traits as well as common ancestry (Golash-Boza)  While there is no biological connection to race I feel very strongly connected to my race especially the phenotypes that we use to identify each other. Those features have become things that I celebrate when it comes to embracing my race, like a wider nose or fuller lips. Things that are often looked down upon when it comes to the general standards of European beauty.  In the words of Beyonce, like my negro nose, with Jackson 5 nostrils.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/43791688@N07/4031639468

I suppose it comes from growing up in a black household and predominantly black neighborhoods. I have always felt an extremely strong connection to my blackness. One so strong that it feels like it could be biological because it feels undeniable.

While I’m aware there is no biological connection to race it unfortunately hasn’t changed the way I view race. The reason it hasn’t changed my views is because if I was to wholeheartedly accept these ideas I’m aware that both me and other people of color have been, are and will continually to be treated different simply because of the color of our skin.

Cited Sources

1. Howard, Jacqueline. "What Scientists Mean When They Say ‘Race’ Is Not Genetic." The Huffington Post. N.p., 09 Feb. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
2. Hadjiargyrou, Michael. "Race Is a Social Concept, Not a Scientific One (Op-Ed)." LiveScience. TechMedia Network, 29 Aug. 2014. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.
3. Golash-Boza, Tanya Maria. Race & Racisms a Critical Approach. New York: Oxford U, 2015. Print.
4. Sussman, Robert Wald. "Why Are We Divided by Race When There Is No Such Thing?" Newsweek. N.p., 05 Mar. 2016. Web. 21 Sept. 2016.