Race

The concept of race is important to America's Black Holocaust Museum because of its impact on the African diaspora. Race is a way of categorizing people by physical features–predominantly skin color. In much of the world, the white (caucasian) race is viewed more favorably than other races. The social construct has been used to justify kidnapping and enslaving African peoples and centuries of racism, including redlining, Jim Crow laws, anti-Black violence, and racial stereotypes about laziness, to give just a few examples.

While race-based arguments for inhumane treatment do not reflect biological reality, especially because someone can be of multiple races, members of the same race may share certain cultural and genetic characteristics. For example, the Black community is disproportionately impacted by Sickle Cell Disease. However, it is important to remember that commonalities between people of the same race do not indicate a genetic or biological component. Instead, racism contributes to environments in ways that can have serious and lasting impacts, especially on Black health and wealth. For example, redlining and lack of money led to many Black people living in areas with more pollution, and those in the medical field do not always provide the same service to Black patients, both of which can impact health.

Because of these inequalities, the Civil Rights Movement and other social, legal, and economic efforts for equality often specifically benefit Black people and other people of color. Race and its impact on the world have also been the topic of interdisciplinary study, and some artists specifically incorporate race--and racism--into their work. Furthermore, race can be a source of pride, sometimes in response to racism and negative stereotypes.