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Race and Racism
Diversity- Mr. Lerner
What is Race?
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When examining the issue of racism, the most
important thing to remember is that race is a social
construction.
We’ll examine exactly what this means by looking at
10 important facts about “race”
Fact 1: Race is a Modern Idea
Ancient societies did not divide people
by physical attributes like skin color or
facial features (“racial” attributes)
 People were divided by things like
religion, social class, and sometimes
even language
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Fact 2: Race Has No Genetic Basis
NOT ONE characteristic, trait, or gene
distinguishes all members of one socalled “race” from another so-called
“race”
 What this means is that by simply
examining one’s DNA, you would NOT
be able to determine his/her “race”
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Fact 3: Slavery Predates Race
Throughout history societies have enslaved
people often as the result of war and other
factors – NOT because of physical
characteristics or a belief in the inherent
inferiority of a group of people
 A unique set of circumstances in the U.S. led
to the enslavement of people based on
physical characteristics
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Fact 4: Freedom and Race were Born
Together
When the U.S. was founded the concept
of equality was a new and radical idea
 Since the U.S. economy was based
largely on slavery, “race” was a
convenient way to justify why the rights
of the enslaved were to be denied
 This allowed slavery, based on race, to
continue and thrive
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Fact 5: “Race” Justified Social Inequalities
as Natural
As the concept of race evolved, it was
used to justify (in addition to slavery),
the extermination of Native Americans,
the exclusion of Asian immigrants, and
taking Mexican lands
 “Racial” practices were
institutionalized in government
practices as well as the law
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Fact 6: Human Subspecies Do Not
Exist
Unlike many animals, the human
species has not been around long
enough (or isolated enough) to evolve
into separate subspecies or “races”
 Despite surface differences, we are the
most similar of all species
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Did you know that fruit flies have more
genetic variation than humans do?
Fact 7: Skin Color is Only Skin Deep
Most traits are inherited independently
of one another
 The genes for skin color, for example,
have nothing to do with the genes for
hair texture, eye shape, blood type,
musical talent, or athletic ability
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This should debunk the ridiculous
stereotype that all Black people look alike,
can play basketball, and can dance.
Fact 8: Most Variation is Within and NOT
Among “Racial” Groups
Of the small amount of total human
genetic variation, 85% of it exists
within any local population (be it
Italians, Chinese, Koreans, Africans,
etc.)
 Two random Koreans, for example, are
likely to be as genetically different than
a Korean and Italian

Fact 9: Race is Not Biological, But Racism
is Real
Though biologically race doesn’t exist,
race is still a powerful idea that gives
people different access to opportunities
and resources
 Our government and society have
created advantages for being white –
this affects everyone whether we are
aware of it or not
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Fact 10: Colorblindness Will Not End
Racism
Pretending that race doesn’t exist is not
the same thing as creating equality
 Race and racism are more than
individual stereotypes and prejudices
 To combat racism, we need to identify
and remedy attitudes (individual and
social) and policies that advantage
some groups at the expense of others
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No Race, But Racism?
Now that we’ve established some key
assumptions about race, it’s time to
think about racism, and how it
operates.
 Beverly Tatum’s “Defining Racism: Can
We Talk?”.
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Can Black People Be Racist?
Hacker (as did Tatum) discusses the issue of
whether or not Black people can be racist.
 It is argued that while Black people (and
other People of Color) can act in prejudiced
ways, they can’t truly be racist because of
their position as an oppressed group.
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Think about racism as prejudice + power
Can Black People Be Racist?
Tatum expounds on this idea in an article in an
essay entitled “Talking About Race, Learning About
Racism, “…a distinction must be made between the
negative racial attitudes held by individuals of color
and white individuals, because it is only the
attitudes of whites that routinely carry with them
the social power inherent in the systematic cultural
reinforcement and institutionalization of those
racial prejudices…The distinction is important,
however, to identify the power differential between
members of dominant and subordinate groups”.
What is Racism?
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Before we expand our definition of
racism further, let’s look at what
racism isn’t.
What Racism Isn’t
Racism Should Not Be Confused With:
Prejudice: A prejudice is a negative attitude toward a group
and anyone perceived to be a member of that group; a
predisposition to negative behavior toward members of a group
Bigotry: Hatred of a group an members of that group
Bias: A preference or inclination favorable or unfavorable that
inhibits impartial judgment
Stereotype: A negative (or sometime positive) trait or traits
associated with a certain group and any members of that group.
Racism: A Breakdown
We are clear about what differentiates
racism from other terms, we will break
racism into three types:
 Individual
 Cultural
 Institutional
Individual Racism
Individual racism is defined as
prejudiced attitudes and behavior
against others demonstrated whenever
someone responds by saying or doing
something degrading or harmful about
people of another race.
Example: A white person calling a Black person a nigger
Cultural Racism
Cultural racism is defined as societal
recognition and promotion of activities
and contributions of one racial group in
preference to others within a multiracial
society; the superimposition of history and
traditions of one racial group over other
racial groups.
Example: Teaching history to emphasize the
contributions of Europeans over other groups.
Institutional Racism
Institutional racism is arguably the
most damaging form of racism that
exists. Institutional racism is defined as
established laws, customs and practices
in a society that allow systemic
discrimination between people or
groups based on skin color.
Example: Housing discrimination
Institutional Racism: Additional Examples
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Discriminatory lending practices (car dealerships,
mortgages, etc.)
Education (segregated schools)
Employment (discriminatory hiring practices)
Politics (under representation of People of Color in
all realms of government)
Criminal justice system (the fact that Black people
are often given harsher penalties than whites for
similar crimes)