Race: Parallels From The Seventeenth Century Through Modern Day

Nicolette N.

Blog Post #1

Race: Parallels From The Seventeenth Century Through Modern Day

In the simplest terms, race refers to the grouping of a people based on phenotypic semblances. However, through a socioeconomic lens, race is a construct that has been used as a tool to oppress groups of people. Upon the arrival of the first enslaved Africans to the colonies in seventeenth century North America, the concept of race developed as a means of maintaining hegemonic power among this group of people who were viewed as chattel. A clear example of this can be found with the usage of slave codes, a set of laws adapted from the Caribbean, which drew upon the idea that Africans were subordinate to whites. Even further, white people during that time period used this idea of race as a basis to justify the enslavement of Africans because they were thought to have an inferior mental capacity and superior physical abilities (Omi, Winant, et. al 2016). The direct products of adopting the concept of race were the development of a distinct social hierarchy, racism, and the perpetuation of the (already) strong ethnocentrism (“us vs. the “uncivilized” them”) among the colonists. Slavery [in the United States] has affected racial attitudes and these attitudes were passed down through generations (Acharya et.al 2016).  Race has significantly hindered the social, political, and economic progress of black people today.

         As someone who has taken Sociology, Anthropology, and quite a few Black Studies classes, I came into this class with a good understanding of the definition of race.  By actively engaging with the learning materials in this class, one of the most interesting facts I came across was the idea that race is something that was made to establish social hierarchy. In addition, I have learned that the gradual shift in the basis of this social hierarchy went from religion (with Christianity as the quintessential belief) to race (the closer the proximity to “Africanness” the lower the person will be socially). The colonists believed that applying this idea of race would give them more control over thousands of black bodies – which unfortunately worked. Race fueled the dehumanization of the enslaved Africans in the colonies. Since coming across these nuggets of history on race, I have come to view it more negatively.

       Similar to its original usage in the seventeenth century, race only remains beneficial to those with the hegemonic power: white people. With this power comes the notion of privilege that creates access to more opportunities (economically, socially, and even judicially) all due to shared physical traits. Maintaining the idea of race today, in a sense, reinforces the same social hierarchy that does not grant other minorities the same opportunities as those with “white privilege”. To put the historical usage of this construct into direct conversation with the modern day Black Lives Matter movement, racism (a product of race) has been the catalyst that is driving the political activism for this movement. As previously mentioned, racism persists because it can be passed down through generations and as a result, remains an issue that is responsible for the death of countless black lives at unfathomable rates. The Black Lives Matter Movement is a way for black people to speak out against the systemic impact of racism and demand a change in this social hierarchy. 

Cartoon created by Chattanooga Times Free Press Cartoonist Clay Bennett on March 9th, 2015.

Supplementary Material:
External Link #1: My podcast on "Black Protest Music" from the 1970s through the present day Black Lives Matter movement featuring Ethnomusicologist Dr. Timothy Mangin.

External Link #2: An article discussing the recent release of  Solange's socio-political album, A Seat At The Table, in conversation with the Black Lives Matter movement, black identity in America, and racism toward black people in America . In this article, Vibe magazine author Latifah Muhammad, states "Nina Simone once stated that the duty of an artist is to “reflect the times,” and more than 35 years later, Solange is carrying the torch. In many ways the spirit and inspiration of Simone lives inside Solange. Her new album, A Seat At The Table, is a collision of artistry and activism, an expedition through the Black experience, and all that it entails."


Academic Sources:

Tawa, J. (2016, September). Belief in Race as Biological: Early Life Influences, Intergroup Outcomes, and the Process of “Unlearning”. Race and Social Problems, 8(3), 244-255. Retrieved October 2, 2016, from http://link.springer.com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/article/10.1007/s12552-016-9176-7#aboutarticle
 

Acharya, A., Blackwell, M., & Sen, M. (2016, May 16). The Political Legacy of American Slavery. The Journal of Politics, 78(3), 621-641. doi:10.1086/686631