Race as a Social Construct

Good Afternoon members of the Human Rights Watch today I will discuss the issue of “race”. Common sense would tell us that race is a method of diving people based on physiological aspects such as the color of one’s skin. Many people believe that race is something that is stagnant, never changing and ground in stone. However the notion of race was not created until Slavery was introduced as a means to identify who was a slave and who was not. Prior to this according to the documentary “Race the power of an Illusion” people were distinguished one another as Christian and heathens but not “white” or black”. The documentary also points out that “race is an idea that evolves over time, that it has a history, that it is constructed by a society to further certain political and economic goals”. In other words, race is a social construct which is ever changing to meet the needs of the current racial state. This means that race is not a natural concept but a false one only given meaning when people give it meaning and actively participate in it.

            The affinity for “white” over “black” began during slavery when dark skin became a symbol of slavery and African descent. When slaves were brought over into the Americans there was a need for labor, diving people on the basis of colored ensured that there would always be a cheap and continuous source of labor.