What is race? What is culture? These are basic questions central to the identity of many Americans and citizens of the world. The video “Race: The Power of An Illusion” examines the scientific reality concerning race – that there is no genetic basis for race. It also explores the development of the concept of race in America. Finally, it explores how institutions and policies give advantages and privileges to some and not others.
Episode one, "The Difference Between Us," utilizes modern science to challenge ancient and venerable assumptions about race. This episode shows that despite what we've always believed, the world's peoples simply don't come bundled into distinct biological groups. The episode begins by following a dozen students, including Black athletes and Asian string players, who sequence and compare their own DNA to see who is more genetically similar. The results surprise the students and the viewer, when they discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other "races" as their own. Episode two, "The Story We Tell," is about the "race concept" in North America -- that is, the traditional stereotypes that were promoted during the country's formation and forwarded by the media and popular entertainment in the 19th century. The final episode, "The House We Live In," focuses not on individual attitudes and behavior but on the ways our institutions and policies advantage some groups at the expense of others. Its subject is the "unmarked" race: white people. We see how benefits quietly and often invisibly accrue to white people, not necessarily because of merit or hard work, but because of the racialized nature of our laws, courts, customs, and perhaps most pertinently, housing.
After watching this video, I begin to understand that my entire life has been a journey toward an understanding of my racial identity. I was raised in a Chinese community, where my world was populated by Chinese neighbors, friends, teachers,...