I’ve come to a point in my life when I’m really starting to recognize the issues going on around me. Right now, the issue of racism is at a peak, especially after the recent election. Being a white woman, I’ve never been the victim of racism but a lot of those around me have.

After taking both a sociology and a biology of anthropology class, I’ve actually had discussions about race in which I learned just how much of a social construct it is. I’m disappointed this wasn’t something I learned earlier.

There’s a video called “What race is, and what it is not…and why it matters” which is a lecture on race by Agustin Fuentes. Fuentes talks about the myth of biology in terms of race. We think we’re genetically different than others based on race, but that’s actually not true. Genetics isn’t an excuse. Genetics tell us our differences as a human race as a whole but not based on skin color. Melanin is a chemical produced that reflects light on the skin so based on how much melanin you produce and how much light your skin reflects, determines your “race.”

This, however, still does not scientifically make us different. Ancestry also doesn’t define race. Africa is actually a very diverse country but it’s easy to just look at a black person and say that they’re ancestors must be from Africa. One student in my class said that her uncle was from Africa and he was white, but when he tried to fill out a census they told him he couldn’t check the African American box. Even though he was an American citizen from Africa.

The reason why I believe race is a social construct is because our society for some reasons looks for ways to separate each other and physical appearance is the main method in which his gets accomplished. My theory is that in order to help get rid of racism and discrimination and general ignorance, we need to have discussions with people. Nothing gets accomplished through arguing and yelling, but to sit someone down and say “let’s talk about this” probably holds more power than you would think.

I think it’s also important not to be afraid to talk to those of color about their experiences and the things they’ve faced. It’s apparent when someone doesn’t look like you, but that wouldn’t divide us if we actually tried to understand people and their culture. You can ask about something without being cruel or ignorant about it. Then you have to be willing to listen to the reply and not discount it.

For example, for my cinema production class this year my friend wanted to direct a documentary about black women. I jumped on board with this idea because I knew that it would be a powerful end result, which it was. The film contains interviews with black women talking about certain aspects of life and how they’ve experienced them. It gives them a voice. I can say through the process and even through watching the film, I learned more about what I could never understand before. The best part is that we had amazing feedback for the film and we plan to send it to festivals because there’s a message there that needs to be understood.

Much like the film, we need to start having discussions about “race” and what it means.