[BES Friends] Race, Class, Gender does not= Character

Fri May 26 20:05:33 EDT 2006

  *This Sunday at BES: Discussion at 10:30 am followed by pot luck lunch 
and then on to the American Visionary Art Museum where we will be met by 
the Museum Founder/Director Rebecca Hoffberger who will introduce the 
Exhibit. 

There is abundant metered parking near the museum so bring quarters.  
The museum is handicap accessible; and if we can get a group of at least 
10 (which is likely), the cost would be only $6 per person.

The following is from the AVAM website on this exhibit at   
http://www.avam.org/exhibitions/race.html
There is a lot more there that would be of interest.

TEN THINGS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RACE*

*1. Race is a modern idea
*Ancient societies, like the Greeks, did not divide people according to 
physical distinctions, but according to religion, status, class, even 
language. The English language didn't even have the word "race" until it 
turns up 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 or isolated enough to evolve into separate subspecies or races. 
Despite surface appearances, we are one of the most genetically similar 
of all species.

*4. Skin color really is only skin deep
*Most traits are inherited independently from one another. The genes 
influencing skin color have nothing to do with the genes influencing 
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 him or her.

*5. Most variation is within, not between, "races"
*Of the small amount of total human variation, 85% exists within any 
local population, be they Italians, Kurds, Koreans or Cherokees. About 
94% can be found within any continent. That means 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 war, even debt, but not because of physical 
characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Due to a unique set 
of historical circumstances, ours was the first slave system where all 
the slaves shared similar physical characteristics.

*7. Race and freedom evolved together
*The U.S. was founded on the radical new principle that "All men are 
created equal." But our early economy was based largely on slavery. How 
could this anomaly be rationalized? 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
*As the race idea evolved, white superiority became "common sense" in 
America. It justified not only slavery but also the extermination of 
Indians, exclusion of Asian immigrants, and the taking of Mexican lands 
by a nation that professed a belief in democracy. Racial practices were 
institutionalized 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. Our government and social institutions have 
created advantages that disproportionately channel wealth, power, and 
resources to white people. This affects everyone, whether we are aware 
of it or not.

*10. Colorblindness will not end racism
*Pretending race doesn't exist is not the same as creating equality. 
Race is more than stereotypes and individual prejudice. To combat 
racism, we need to identify and remedy social policies and institutional 
practices that advantage some groups at the expense of others.