As human beings, there are many things that we would love to change about ourselves. It could be our hair length, hair color, weight, etc… but there’s one thing that we as humans can’t change and that is the color of our skin or our “race".
The word “race”, defined by Milton M. Gordon in Assimilation in American Life, is defined as “the differential concentrations of gene frequencies responsible for traits which, so far as we know, are confined to physical manifestations such as skin color or hair form; it has no intrinsic connection with cultural patterns and institutions.”
The reality of the word “race” is that it is no longer the definition that it used to be. One’s race is no longer just a representation of one’s physical characteristics such as their hair texture or their eye color, but has begun to represent one’s personal characteristics. Race used to just be a physical manifestation, people were categorized based on their own physical attributes and from there were treated accordingly in a specific society.
“Race” has undergone a complete transition of its initial definition. It is now a definite representation of one’s whole being including one’s interests, abilities, talents, etc…The transition came along with changes in time, people’s beliefs, and society’s view of specific people. This transition went far as to create the two levels present in our society today: the inferior and superior levels, which is based solely on one’s race. For a while now “race” has been limited to only these two levels: either superior or inferior. When “race” created this inferior and superior role in a given society, it somehow created a functioning society. As one or more races were the superior position that had the resources and opportunities, there needed to be a group or “race” experiencing the exact opposite of that, these happen to be the inferior races. The inferior races are notoriously known for being left behind to fend for themselves by those in greater power.
“Race” has encapsulated the definition of a society as it has become a specific landmark in the advancement of an individual and that individual’s society and opportunities at hand. Race has become a characteristic of a functioning society as race has contributed to many economic, educational, gender, and individual inequalities that we witness every day in our country.
Human beings are still being just characterized as their “race” as if their race is all that they are. Behind the white, black, brown, green, yellow, and orange skin lies multiple personal strengths, attributes, weaknesses, passions, and desires that “race” doesn’t allow the average human being to see.
