“Is Race Real?”
-Race and freedom were born together
The idea that our country was founded on the principle that “All men are created equal,” simply did not apply. With the economy in the new world based largely on black slavery, this new idea of race explained why some people were denied the rights and freedoms (based solely on the color of their skin) others took for granted.
-Race justified social inequalities as natural
Classifying people doesn’t have to be good or bad. Unfortunately, as a result of the naturalist tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries, the assumption was made that by classifying human beings according to their skin color, cranial capacity, hair texture, and average height, that a hierarchical order could be established with whites being the most developed. This was only the beginning of what has become years of social and political classification. We know now that this sort of naturalist classification of human beings is not accurate. Even so, more often than not, classifying is used negatively and, as a result, people are still being discriminated against, do not share certain privileges afforded others, and will lack certain opportunities.
-Skin color is only skin deep
Appearance does not always tell us about a person’s ancestry. As we have seen from the sorting exercise, it is difficult to make an accurate prediction based on appearance (race) alone.
Five privileges I can count on:
-I am never asked to speak on behalf of all “white” people.
-Growing up, I could attend a school in my neighborhood (and not one that I had to ride a bus to across town).
-The history books I studied growing up portrayed people of my color as the national heroes of my country.
-I can turn on the TV or open a magazine and see people of my race widely represented and products for my race readily available.
-I can comfortably (without EVER giving it another thought) walk into a store and never be viewed as “suspicious.”
As with McIntosh, until recently I was simply not aware that I have been a “participant in a damaged culture.” (McIntosh, 2005). As a result of this new awareness, I have become increasingly aware of the “privileges” afforded me.
Below is a link to the World In Conversation Project website. This site has a good article and CBS News clip that discusses the racial wealth gap in America.
