The Paradox of Race

The first day of the Healing History conference brought to light a very interesting and intriguing paradox. Many of the scholars who presented concluded that biologically there is no such thing as race. They noted that when we look at DNA, there is no qualifier or marker that identifies race. So here then is the paradox, while there is no such thing as race, racism does exist. 

Human beings have in fact constructed a concept of race which has led to a categorization and a hierarchical system that values some categories over others. These categories, in turn, have resulted in structures and systems that have favored some categories while dismissing others, giving rise to racism on a personal and institutional level.

One of the questions being posed at this conference is: how do we overcome, or as one scholar put it, “eliminate”, racism? Some of the participants suggest that we begin with our minds, in particular our unconscious bias, which is the lens through which we view the world and process information unconsciously. Unconscious bias is not about race but rather how we choose to process and categorize information that creates in-groups and out-groups. This process of assigning negative attributes to certain categories creates a sense of otherness which dehumanizes groups of people. Socially this “othering” creates systems and structures that support and sustain this social construction. The first step to combat this is to be aware that we all have unconscious bias. Next is to challenge stereotypes because each time we prove them to be false, we puncture little holes in them. It is hard to sustain stereotypes when we are in regular contact with those that we have “othered”.

The process of “othering” creates structures and systems to uphold and validate it. For this reason some participants suggested that to eliminate racism, we must pivot away from centering our discussions on race and in turn look to transform the dominant power structures that have been constructed based on the concept of race. They say this because to have a “post-racial” society does not automatically imply that racism does not exist. It is only when we address the underlying structures that were built based on the notion of racial hierarchy that we can truly eliminate racism.

As I am in this amazing conference and beginning to process everything, I think a problem as complex as this is beyond a simple “either/or” situation. If we are to truly realize our common humanity, it will be through holistically applying all means and all methods at our disposal. On an individual level, we have to closely examine how we view and relate to others. We must also take a critical look at the various forms of media we entertain to be sure they are not reinforcing, on an unconscious level, what we are striving to eradicate on a conscious level. However, while these measures can improve how we relate towards one another, we must also look at the structures that create health disparity, income gaps, and a 10 year difference in allostatic load (wear and tear on the body) based upon race. To learn more about current research on race and healthcare in the US, see the presentation given by David Williams of Harvard University’s School of Public Health

As we have the courage to apply the tools at our disposal at each crucial level, we can continue to chip away at the artificial barriers that keep us from equality and a just society.

Amaha Sellassie (CSP 2013) is a mediator in conflict transformation, trained by the US Institute of Peace, and is a facilitator for IofC’s longtime Dayton, OH, partner, the Dayton Dialogs on Race Relations.