Month: March 2019

From listening to “The Invention of Race” I learned that scientifically everyone is believed to be from African descent but we all look different based on where people moved to when they left Africa. This was interesting because when people started exploring the world they weren’t looking at race because it wasn’t a thing yet, but they did look at how everyone looked different. They also discussed how “there is more genetic variation within groups that have come to be called races than there is across groups that have come to be called races”(1). Race was not something that was thought about until religion became a large practiced idea in England. While people were always owned and bought and sold no one was thought of as lesser until this point. The radio show also discussed well known figures like Thomas Jefferson and Ralph Waldo Emerson and how they were involved in the making of race.

• Why is it difficult to answer accurately “Exactly who is a Native Hawaiian?” Why does the answer to the question matter – both in everyday life in Hawaii and to us as we think about the realities of social identities?

It is difficult to know who is a native Hawaiian because there is so much mixing so there is no distinction between the different races. These people are not distinct because they do not fit into a certain group.

What is a “community of descent?” In what ways is a “community of descent” different from an “ethnic group” or “racial group?” Pull together and explain material from Olson’s text to define these terms and explain why Olson thinks the concept of “community of descent” is a useful way to think about mixed ancestry

 

Race is real because people face discrimination everyday. Even though race is not in our genes it does shape how you’re viewed in the world because of how you look. Race can impact job opportunities even if a person doesn’t want to associate with their race or tries to escape the stereotypes. Race is real because it is what makes our appearances unique by how races are mixed together. A lot of the differences of race are cultural but they only formed to differentiate themselves and had to make cultures because they are looked down upon.