Race and Structural Racism
The power of an illusion
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?1 - humans
Is race biological?
Is race biological?No, there is no biological basis for race.
Which two people would have more genetic variation, a Korean and an Italian, or a Korean and another Korean?
Which two people would have more genetic variation, a Korean and an Italian, or a Korean and another Korean?We can expect to see the same or more variation between the two Koreans than between the Korean and the Italian.
Does racism exist?
Does racism exist?Absolutely. There is no genetic basis for race, but it does exist in our social structure.
The Paradox of Race
• Biological myth, but social reality
The Paradox of Race
• Biological myth, but social realityhttp://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-
Trenton-New-Jersey.html
The Paradox of Race
• Biological myth, but social realityhttp://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-
Trenton-New-Jersey.htmlhttp://www.city-data.com/poverty/poverty-
Pennington-New-Jersey.html
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?
How many races exist in the world today?
Every society defines race in their own way
American society tends to define race by the color of your skin
Brown eyes v. Blue Eyeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BrFHq-t2VY
• Why do we continue to have racism if so few people identify as racist?
• Answer = structural racism– The structure of our society is such that people can be wildly
disadvantaged without others even noticing
• This doesn’t have to be a conscious effort– Racial motivations aren’t necessary to end up with
racist results• Certain racial groups are still the most
disadvantaged, whether intentionally or not• So…what do we do about this?• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3cGfrExozQ
• What do you think of Freeman’s proposal?