Divided By Faith Summary

In this narrative we meet three women who come from different walks of life. Each one of them has a different religion, but they all have one thing in common. That is that they all have children and want to explain to them about their different religions, especially after the September 11, 2001 attacks as many children had questions and were left perplexed.

Race: the color of our skin; has carried meaning and status in this country that still divides and separates us. Institutionalized racism, such as Slavery is now longer present in America, nevertheless, racialization and segregation is prevalent and just as divisive. In Divided by Faith, the statement is made that Evangelical Christianity has failed and fails to see racialization and work towards unity within and outward of the church.

What is race? Some people attach "race" to a biological meaning, yet others use "race" as a socially constructed concept. “Most biologists and anthropologists do not recognize race as a biologically valid classification, in part because there is more genetic variation within groups than between them” (. So, it is clear that even though race does not have a biological meaning, it does have a social meaning - usually detrimental to our social harmony. Race is neither an essence nor an illusion, but

“Think about race in its universality. Where is your measurement device? There is no way to measure race. We sometimes do it by skin color, other people may do it by hair texture - other people may have the dividing lines different in terms of skin color. What is black in the United States is not what 's black in Brazil or what 's black in South Africa.”-Dr.Goodman, Race: The Power of an Illusion

In describing what exactly social construction of race is, it can be best described as the historical process through which racial categories are created as well as maintained and become real in their consequences. We often see this when it comes to minorities, especially since America is a predominately white country, hence the minorities. -Unfortunately, America has a history of social construction of race. The examples that come to mind include views of the Irish in the 1840s that immigrated due to the potato famine. Factions such as Tammany Hall strived to depict and oust them from achieving any sort of political recognition.

1. Explain how race is socially constructed. Provide evidence that counters a biological explanation for race. Race is socially constructed. Race being a social construct means that it does not exist in an absolute sense, and was only created within the framework of society.

The true definition of race, as stated by Macionis is, “race is a socially constructed category of people who share biologically transmitted traits that members of a society consider important.” However, only two of the six respondents (33.33%) explicitly identified the social construction of race in her personal definition. This finding is critical as they state that race is a creation and not a biological trait which race is often mistaken for. One white respondent and one WOC respondent provided this correct answer, providing the notion that understanding race as a construction is possible within all racial groups and can potentially solve large racial

Humans define race by how they conceive and categorize different social realities. Thus, race is often referred to as a social construct. The differences in skin color and facial characteristics have led most of society to classify humans into groups instead of individuals. These constructs affect us all, and they often result in situations where majority racial groups cause undue suffering to those that are part of the minority. The understanding of race as a social construct is best illustrated by the examination of racial issues within our own culture, specifically those that have plagued the history of the United States.

Another issue with race being a social construction is that it is based off of what people think you are, although people associate with what they want to be and that isn’t

The concept of race dates back to recent human history. Race is an integral part of life for individuals residing in the United States. However, this concept of “race”, that many Americans believe to be true, has no biological backing; it is merely a social construct. Looking at genetics, and even evolution it becomes clear that race is not real. But, even though race is not real, it can have very real consequences (such as racism). So in this sense race becomes a very real thing, as it affects millions of people living today. Race, biologically is not a real thing, but due to its impact, socially and culturally, it has become real.

I used to think that race was a social construct more of a biological reality until I read all these articles. They changed my perspective and I have come to realize different things. My opinion is now divided into two; I am in that middle point where I can see both ways of the argument as valid and reasonable and agree with both. First, I will explain why I think it is a biological reality, then, I will explain why it can also be a social construct, and lastly how have these debates shaped the views about the nature of ethnicity and consequently defined ethnic identity. We have to avoid viewing either explanation with a negative meaning. The negative history that comes attached to the word “race” is what I think makes us be defensive whenever we hear it and close ourselves up to any reasonable answer we might have to the question, is it a biological reality or a social construct?

Although race does not exist in the world in an objective way, it still is relevant in today’s society. It is obvious that race is real in society and it affects the way we view others as well as ourselves. Race is a social construct that is produced by the superior race and their power to regulate. “The category of ‘white’ was subject to challenges brought about by the influx of diverse groups who were not of the same Anglo-Saxonstock as the founding immigrants” (Omi and Winant 24). Frankly, ‘white’ was the norm, the others were considered an outcast.

Donald Trump is one of the wealthiest Presidents to be sitting in the oval office. His Limited Liability Company, The Trump organization has business operations throughout the world. Presidents Trump listed roughly 500 companies (some operational, some defunct) on his latest FEC filing (Wang). Trump’s biggest presence are in the golf and hotel industry. Since the beginning of the presidential campaign, many ethic experts believe his extensive global business operations may result in the corruption of the White House, fearing that is financial interest may influence his foreign and domestic policies. Trump, stated he has distanced himself from his company by giving control over to his children. However,

When we hear the word "race" we're more than likely inclined to automatically think of the color of someone's skin. Though this isn't entirely inappropriate, there is so much more to race than that. Sociologists say that race is a social construction created in society, meaning it's basically a set of "stories" we tell ourselves and hear overtime to make sense of the world. Since we hear these stories over and over again, we act on them, ultimately making them true. This can be said of many aspects of culture and society, however, it seems to happen with race without our realization.

1, To say that race and gender are socially constructs means that while both race and gender help shape the world in which we live, society can alter their meaning and significance. They have power because we give them power. Race is a social construct because, by definition, society can and does arbitrarily define it. For example, when American society forbidden interracial marriage (Conley 331), and determined an individual's race using the “one drop rule,” where someone is considered black if even their most distant ancestor was black. This is an example of how race can be imposed upon someone without his or her own individual endorsement. Race is not even biologically sound. Wayne Joseph was a man who was born and raised black, yet from