Handout
Nine Things Everyone Should Know About Race
This handout presents students with important facts about race.
Language
English — UKUpdated
This resource is intended for educators in the United Kingdom.
- Race is a Modern Idea
Ancient societies, like that of the Greeks, did not divide people according to physical differences, but according to religion, status, class or even language. In fact, the English word ‘race’ was originally used to refer to lineage, not skin colour: in William Shakespeare’s play Richard III, which was written around the year 1592, ghosts encourage King Richard to ‘beget a happy race of kings’. - Race has NO Genetic Basis
Not one characteristic, trait or even gene distinguishes all the members of one so-called race from all the members of another so-called race. - Human Subspecies Don’t Exist
Unlike many animals, modern humans simply haven’t been around long enough, nor have populations been isolated enough, to evolve into separate subspecies or races. On average, only one of every thousand of the nucleotides that make up our DNA differ from one human to another. We are one of the most genetically similar of all species. - Skin Colour Really is Only Skin Deep
The genes for skin colour have nothing to do with genes for hair form, eye shape, blood type, musical talent, athletic ability or forms of intelligence. Knowing someone’s skin colour doesn’t necessarily tell you anything else about them. - Most Differences are Within, NOT Between, ‘Races’
Of the small amount of total human variation, 85% exists within any local population. About 94% can be found within any continent. This means, for example, that two random Koreans may be as genetically different as a Korean and an Italian. - Slavery Predates Race
Throughout much of human history, societies have enslaved others, often as a result of conquest, not because of physical characteristics or a belief in natural inferiority. Due to a unique set of historical circumstances, North America and the Caribbean had the first slave system where all slaves shared a common appearance and ancestry. - Race was Created to Justify Colonialism, the Slave Trade and Social Inequality
The modern definition of race was created in the 18th century as a means of justifying the kidnapping and enslavement of Africans: pseudo-science concerning the inferiority of Africans was circulated by slave traders, who sought to challenge the abolitionist movement. The idea of ‘white superiority’ over other races then continued to be used to justify anti-democratic acts and colonialism. - Race is NOT Biological, but Racism is Still Real
Race is a powerful social idea that gives people different access to opportunities and resources. The way that the government and social institutions of the United Kingdom are structured disproportionately channels wealth, power and resources to white people. - Colourblindness will NOT End Racism
Pretending race doesn’t exist is not the same as creating equality.
How to Cite This Handout
Facing History & Ourselves, “Nine Things Everyone Should Know About Race”, last updated September 13, 2021.
You might also be interested in…
10 Questions for the Future: Student Action Project
Students create a plan for enacting change on an issue that they are most passionate about using the 10 Questions Framework.
10 Questions for the Present: Parkland Student Activism
Students identify strategies and tools that Parkland students have used to influence Americans to take action to reduce gun violence.
The Power of Images
Students examine how identity and biases can impact how individuals interpret images and experience the challenge of selecting images to represent news events, particularly connected to sensitive issues.
The Challenge of Confirmation Bias
Students define confirmation bias and examine why people sometimes maintain their beliefs in the face of information that contradicts their understanding.
Preparing Students for Difficult Conversations
Students establish a safe space for holding sensitive conversations, before introducing the events surrounding Ferguson, by acknowledging people's complicated feelings about race and creating a classroom contract.
Social Media and Ferguson
Students explore the role of social media in Ferguson, apply information verification strategies to social media posts, and develop strategies for becoming critical consumers and sharers of social media.
Verifying Breaking News
Students evaluate the differences among news accounts about Ferguson, develop strategies for verifying news and information, and understand the challenges facing journalists as they cover complex, fast-moving events.
Facing Ferguson: News Literacy in a Digital Age
Help students become informed and effective civic participants in today's digital landscape. This unit is designed to develop students' critical thinking, news literacy, civic engagement, and social-emotional skills and competencies.
The 1968 East LA School Walkouts
Students learn about education, identity, and activism through an exploration of the East Los Angeles school walkouts, when thousands of students protested unequal educational opportunities for Mexican American students.
Standing Up to Hatred and Intolerance
Address today's global challenges with lesson plans focused on current events including the refugee crisis and contemporary antisemitism.
The Importance of a Free Press
Students review the First Amendment, understand the importance of a free press, and consider how that freedom can conflict with other societal needs through journalists’ experiences in Ferguson.
The resources I’m getting from my colleagues through Facing History have been just invaluable.
—
Claudia Bautista, Santa Monica, Calif
