From: Ant Blair
Columbus
More than 100 years ago, African American sociologist and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois was concerned that race was being used as a biological explanation for what he understood to be social and cultural differences between humans. Du Bois spoke out against the idea of "white" and "black" as discrete groups, claiming that these distinctions ignored the scope of human diversity. I agree with Du Bois.
In an article published February 4, 2016 in the Journal of Science, four scholars said that racial categories are weak proxies for genetic diversity and need to be phased out. I agree with the four scholars.
How did a lie turn into a truth?
German scientist Johann Friedrich Blumenbach categorized humans according to race around 1776. Blumenbach ushered in the shift from a geographic to a hierarchical ordering of human diversity. I believe this is one of the most fateful shifts in the history of science.
Can you think of anything that has more negatively impacted humanity?
Some historians have said this shift to a hierarchical ordering of human diversity helped “the founding fathers” resolve the contradiction between a natural right to freedom and the practice of slavery. If “whites” were their own distinct category, then they could feel a lot better about denying freedom to people who they labeled “Black” and decided were “different.” And as America’s political priorities changed, definitions of race in America changed right along with them.
For instance, if you were Hispanic in the United States in 1929, you were considered “white.” The 1930 census changed that to “non-white” to limit immigration. In 1942 when the US needed to increase its labor force during World War Two, these people were switched back to “white.”
And what it took to be “Black” once varied so widely throughout America, that people could change races just by crossing state lines.
Do you see how shaky the very idea of race is? Do you see who benefits from perpetuating this lie?
We must understand and accept that race is made up. When we understand this, we gain important perspective on where racism came from, why it is used, and who benefits from it. With our new perspective, let’s lose the race. Because if we do not, the wonderful colorful fabric of humanity will continue to tear apart.
