“Race is a human invention.” – Evelynn Hammonds, historian of science
This is only one of the many quotes regarding race that could be found on the second floor of the Culp Center this past week. These quotes, printed on different color pamphlets, decorated the wall behind the Race Machine. Each one, in different words, conveyed the same idea: race is nothing more than a man-made illusion.
I was curious, although not expecting much, to see the image of my face transformed into several different races including Hispanic, African American, Asian and Middle-Eastern. I noticed that the table beside the machine had numerous sheets of paper, also different colors, illustrating a variety of ways with which to familiarize myself to what the word ‘race’ really means.
So, what exactly does it mean? I’ll get to that in a moment.
After grabbing several of the sheets, it was my turn to use the machine. I was instructed on how to seat myself so that my face would be aligned with certain crosses representing where my eyes should level. The process was simple enough and after taking my glasses off and briefly sitting still, my photo was taken. It was then that I was given the opportunity to see myself in each race, one at a time.
My face had taken on odd proportions and was almost too animated to be considered realistic. I had expected to laugh a little and get a kick out of the idea of myself as these other races. Perhaps it was what the woman (who had instructed) had said beforehand that made me think beyond the laughs. As I watched her change the photos, one to the next, I thought of how she had told me to think of myself as a person of each race and how my life may have been different – the opportunities and struggles of a life I will never know.
It was an experience to watch my image change while thinking of this person, one who still held the framework of my face, as a separate individual. Here I was, with only the color of my skin and a few features altered, yet completely somehow changed. The ideas began racing through my head. I am an African-American – I’m quickly stereotyped by the color of my skin and believed to harbor a grudge, thought of as inefficient and lacking the capability of success. I am Middle-Eastern – I’m feared above all others because of my beliefs, I am recognized by my accent and often blamed for terrorism, which I know nothing about. I am Hispanic – I’m looked down upon, thought to live only in poverty and called ‘illegal’ to my face.
For such a brief moment, I was able to be each of these people. I was interrogated longer and more thoroughly in the airport than you. I had the eyes of an elderly man pass over me and knew where he believed I should be. I walked into the job interview and knew I had lost it immediately. I breathed their breath, spoke their words and suffered their trials.
Thankfully, I was far more susceptible to the illusion than I had expected. This only led me to think harder into the idea of race and racism. How much different are we in terms of race?
Well, my eyes are hazel and one of my best friends has blue eyes. To my knowledge, neither of us has ever been looked at differently or considered superior due to this. My younger sister has blonde hair, opposed to my brunette, but neither she nor I have ever suffered because of it.
Why is it that our skin makes so much difference? According to one of the sheets I acquired from the table, slavery predates race. This means, as the information stated, that the motive behind slavery is fed by a desire for growth – often through war. Not until the United States of America was founded and Africans were being enslaved did the idea of equality for ‘all’ exist. This idea, as we all know, pertained specifically to the white fellows of the land and in no way ‘all’. This is where racism is believed to have originated – if America guaranteed equality for everyone but needed slaves for economic prosperity . that would present quite the predicament. Unless, of course, they weren’t really people.
That idea, more powerful than anyone could have ever expected, has stuck with us for some time and continues today to restrict humans. Even with science saying there is no genetic basis for race; it would seem that racism would have finally faded away. The idea of what a race may be has changed, sometimes for the better, but the distinguishing factor and prejudices of skin color still exist. We still make associations of which we are well aware; ones that are in no way accurate.
I once saw an episode of “60 Minutes” in which a famous actor, Morgan Freeman, was interviewed. He was questioned on his struggles as an African-American, actor and his perspectives regarding racism. He responded by saying that the only way to stop racism is to ‘stop talking’ about it.
I have to admit that in that moment I lost some of my respect for Freeman, not for his acting but for his views. I agree that rehashing an issue, like scraping an old wound open, can be tedious and may never solve the problem. Still, by ignoring racism and continuing in our ideas of what constitutes race, the pulse of equality will forever have flat lined.
Race goes far deeper than skin – just as beauty is said to do. It’s only an idea which we created for our own benefits and out of fear for others not like us. We should not forget that we are more similar than any other species on earth. There are no subspecies or races in humans. We are all one.
How can we see beyond race without closing our eyes – open them wider.

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