Summative research

page 0 4

ten things everyone should knowabout raceTen Things Everyone Should Know about Race 1 Race is a modern idea. Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people

according to physical differences, but according to religion, status, class or even language. The English word "race" turns up for the first time in a 1508 poem by William Dunbar referring to a line of kings.

2 Race has no genetic basis. Not one characteristic, trait or even gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called race.

3 Human subspecies don’t exist. Unlike many animals, modern humans simply haven’t been around long enough, nor have populations been isolated enough, to evolve into separate subspecies or races. On average, only one of every thousand of the nucleotides that make up our DNA differ one human from another. We are one of the most genetically similar of all species.

4 Skin color really is only skin deep. The genes for skin color have nothing to do with genes for hair form, eye shape, blood type, musical talent, athletic ability or forms of intelligence. Knowing someone’s skin color doesn’t necessarily tell you anything else about them.

5 Most variation is within, not between, “races.” Of the small amount of total human variation, 85% exists within any local population. About 94% can be found within any continent. That means, for example, that two random Koreans may be as genetically different as a Korean and an Italian.

6 Slavery predates race. Throughout much of human history, societies have enslaved others, often as a result of conquest or debt, but not because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Due to a unique set of historical circumstances, North America has the first slave system where all slaves shared a common appearance and ancestry.

7 Race and freedom were born together. The U.S. was founded on the principle that "All men are created equal," but the country’s early economy was based largely on slavery. The new idea of race helped explain why some people could be denied the rights and freedoms that others took for granted.

8 Race justified social inequalities as natural. The “common sense” belief in white superiority justified anti-democratic action and policies like slavery, the extermination of American Indians, the exclusion of Asian immigrants, the taking of Mexican lands, and the institutionalization of racial practices within American government, laws, and society.

9 Race isn’t biological, but racism is still real. Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources. The government and social institutions of the United States have created advantages that disproportionately channel wealth, power and resources to white people.

10 Colorblindness will not end racism. Pretending race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality.

Independent Television Service (ITVS) 501 York Street San Francisco, CA 94110 phone 415.356.8383 email [email protected] web www.itvs.org

There’s less—and

more—to race

than meets

the eye.

resources page

1 4

Independent Television Service (ITVS) 501 York Street San Francisco, CA 94110 phone 415.356.8383 email [email protected] web www.itvs.org

Resources

The companion Web site for RACE—The Power of an Illusion (www.pbs.org/race) includes a wealth of interactive exercises and in-depth resources, including background articles, lesson plans, and links to related organizations.

Acknowledgments

Copyright 2003 California Newsreel

Developed by Dr. Faith Rogow, Insighters Educational Consulting, with contributions from Jean Cheng, Larry Adelman, Jim Sommers, and Timothea Howard.

Reviewers: Linda Li, Moses Howard, Marian Urquilla, and Amy Quinn.

Design: Brad Bunkers

Photos: Library of Congress, American Museum of Natural History, UCLA/Visual Communications, Howard University, Oregon Historical Society, Truman State University, New York Public Library, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Southern California Library for Social Studies Research, Cardona-Bagai Family Library

RACE—The Power of an Illusion was produced by California Newsreel in association with the Independent Television Service (ITVS). ITVS was created by Congress to “increase the diversity of programs available to public television, and to serve underserved audiences, in particular minorities and children.” For downloadable educational and outreach resources from ITVS’s Community Connections Project, visit www.itvs.org/outreach/toolkits.htm.

Major funding for this program was provided by Ford Foundation and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Diversity Fund. Additional funding by Annie E. Casey Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Akonadi Foundation, Lida and Alejandro Zaffaroni, the Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation, and Nu Lambda Trust.

For more information about ITVS or to obtain additional copies of this guide, contact us at 415-356-8383; fax 415-356-8391 or visit the Web site: www.itvs.org/outreach/toolkits.htm.

To purchase the video, call 1-877-811-7495 or go to www.newsreel.org/films/race.htm.

Visit the companion Web site at www.pbs.org/race.