The Mark of Race

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Race has proven to be more than the color of someone’s skin. Race, through personal experience, is stigmas and stereotypes, limits and control, power, and opportunity. Race is about shades, hues, and pigments justifying bias actions. Does one race, because of something that cannot be changed, have an advantage over another? Does something as simple as the color dictate how one is seen in society and limit what one can and cannot do?

We classify one another in four or five classes based on features and judge one another’s internal abilities based on race (Adelman and Herbes-Sommers 2003). We are quick to simplify the complexity of an individual based on physical features and what we assume to be correct. As stated in episode one, there is nothing biological to justify race (Adelman and Herbes-Sommers 2003). There is no chromosome or trait that can be singled out to say a group or a race is better at any particular activity. But, as a society we want to use and manipulate science to say one race is superior. The same ‘science’ that proves positive qualities in the dominate race, is used to diminish the equity in the minorities time and hard work in their craft. African Americans are overall known to excel at athletics. White Americans wanted to link race to athletic ability (Adelman and Herbes-Sommers 2003). Those in power, the dominate race, want to demean the hard work of an individual in a minority race. The majorities say there is a certain trait that allows ‘their kind’ to be good at a particular activity, not that the individually worked hard and put in the rigorous hours to be successful.

Race is used to quickly classify a person and determine how one should interact with another. There is nothing easier than ...

... middle of paper ...

... people in America do not have to break down. In the color of their skin is a free pass allowing them to be immune to such prejudice and hardship.

Race cannot be avoided, it is inevitable. The power that follows race should be abolished or distributed equally among races. When will a man be judged solely on his ability, worth and character, and not by the foreseeable, his skin color?

Works Cited

Adelman, Larry and Christine Herbes-Sommers. 2003. "Episode 1: The Difference Between Us." Race: The Power of an Illusion. California Newsreel. January 18, 2012.

Adelman, Larry and Tracy Heather Strain. 2003. “Episode 2: The Story We Tell.” Race: The Power of an Illusion. California Newsreel. January 20, 2012.

Adelman, Larry and Llewellyn M. Smith. 2003. "Episode 3: The House We Live In." Race: The Power of an Illusion. California Newsreel. January 22,2012

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