The Myth of Race

From a biological perspective there is no such thing as race. Where there are meaningful genetic differences between, say, German Shepherds and French Poodles; the genetic differences between what we have learned to call racial groups are inconsequential. However, socially these differences are literally a matter of life and death.

Ta-Nehisi Coates reminds us “race did not beget racism, racism begat race.” We have taken certain physical characteristics, e.g., skin color, hair texture, shape of eyes, nose, etc. and falsely assigned correlates such as intelligence, athleticism, pain tolerance etc. These connections, or “racial myths”, were created to justify oppression. They have been told, retold, and acted upon for centuries in this land we call the United States since 1619. They have been codified into our education, laws, government and organizational policies and procedures. They have been passed down through the generations, accepted as fact, in spite of the science that has proven otherwise.

The journey of racial justice involves understanding this history, how it has shaped us, our relationships, the groups to which we belong and the places we work. It requires that we take this hard look, with self-compassion; and taking responsibility for healing. Through this process we move from conditioned fear to seeing ourselves and others as all we are. It is, to quote Ron Chisom, of The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond, how we “reclaim our humanity”.