Race is a social construct that has powerful, real-world consequences for health and life chances. It determines how you are treated, who gets access to resources, whether you live with prejudice and violence, and more. Talking about race can be hard, but it is necessary.
Scientists and anthropologists have long struggled to identify, define, and classify human races. The fact that they have never agreed on the number of races, what distinguishes one from another, or even what features are appropriate to use for identification has hampered attempts to study the origin, development, and interaction of humans.
The concept of distinct human races arose in the 17th and 18th centuries as a folk ideology to explain differences between European, Amerindian, and African peoples brought together in the New World by colonization, slavery, and migration patterns (Williams, Mohammed et al. 2010). Although racial categories are not biologically meaningful, existing racial classifications have considerable social consequences and have become an entrenched feature of human society that continues to influence societal interactions.
In the late 20th century, scholars began to recognize that race is a social phenomenon that exists only because of the way our societies organize themselves. They also recognized that the science of genetics shows that there are no measurable biological traits to identify a person’s race. Scientists have now reached a point where they can no longer support the assumption that there are biological differences between different groups of people, and they have recast the meaning of the word “race” to reflect this scientific knowledge.
Researchers now understand that a person’s “race” is determined by many factors, including common geographic origins, ancestry, family patterns, cultural norms and traditions, and the social history of specific groups. These societal-level characteristics are the basis of what we now refer to as ethnicity, rather than a cladistic definition of human races that is based on physical or behavioral traits.
While recognizing that human races are social constructions, scholars are still concerned about the power of these social categories to shape our lives and the outcomes of our interactions with each other. They are seeking to understand the social, economic, and political implications of these social categories so that we can work to eliminate racism and promote a more equitable and just society for all.
In this article, we explore the complexity of human race, from its origins to the current state of affairs. We examine how social, historical, and biological realities have influenced the formation of these categories, and we discuss the complexities of defining, understanding, and challenging race in our daily lives. Ultimately, we offer some strategies for how individuals can begin or continue to engage in the difficult but crucial conversation about race. We also provide tools and guidance for thinking critically about race, and ways that individuals can help to empower and inspire others to take action on this important issue.