Essay about Visual Culture of the Civil Rights Movement

In Sharon Begley’s article, “Three is not enough,” the author focuses her argument on the fact that race should not be defined by his or her body components, such as DNA, hair, eye, or skin color. In other words, race should be justified by their social interactions with others and build upon one’s behaviors and actions.That is to say, one’s skin color, physical appearance do not define who he or she is, nor does it impose a stereo type of that a certain group of people. The word race is often misunderstood, many believe that race is used to label one group of people, and make assumptions about a certain group of people. However, this is wrong according to Sharon Begley, author of “ Three Is Not Enough”. Begley cites a study done by biologist

Many pictures that refer back to the time of the Civil Rights Movement are unpleasant and offensive to people today. There is a photo that shows black men walking while at gunpoint holding signs that say, “I AM a man”. The photo is disheartening because there is no reason for them to be aimed at for saying that they are simply men. No man should feel that they are not worthy of being called a man. Also, the photo looks as though the black men weren’t allowed to look at the white men in the eyes. How could anyone feel satisfied knowing that it was standard for African Americans to be treated this way.

In the first episode of Race, the Power of Illusion, popular misconceptions about race are debunked. The myths about race are laid out on the table. As discussed in the film, race is typically determined by visual differences, such as skin complexion, eye shape, or the texture of one’s hair. The idea of race being biological then leads to other misconceptions; furthermore, many believe that race plays a role in academic or athletic abilities. Pilar Ossorio explains that there are no genetic indicators of race, meaning that race is not a biological concept.

Race has been a topic used as a means of division and categorization for years. Scientists and people in general have used race to separate racial groups and to determine which race is “superior” or “inferior”. However, as we progress in society, studying the differences between races serves to understand and help one another, rather than to degrade. Studying the different genetic makeups between races serves as a helpful tool to educate individuals on health risks they may be more susceptible to because of their racial background.

Traits are usually seen as racial but in actuality it is due to adaptations that have been influenced by natural selection.” A race is a great division of mankind, the members of which, though individually varying, are characterized

Race and racism are a worldwide concern since they have effects on both intellectual and scientific grounds. Biologically, humans can be classified into distinct races using consistent and reliable biological criteria. This can be done by use of genetic traits that is also depicted in the physical characteristic of an individual, like skin color, hair texture, eye and nose shape, and body type. These traits also vary in different geographical areas and hence all traits have distinct geographical distributions with humans in classified races. Therefore, the biological study supports that races are valid scientifically.

In “Man’s Most Dangerous Myth,” anthropologist Ashley Montague argues that the concept of race has no scientific validity. She refers to race as a group of people defined by their perceptive biological traits, such as skin color, hair color, facial features, blood types, etc. Race is socially constructed and is exercised through mechanisms such as, redlining, ghettoization, racial steering, and profiling. The scholarly critique of race has no biological significance. In order for there to be one race, three must exist (Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid). Experts agree that humans cannot be classified into these races because it is scientifically untenable. Experts argue that race causing morality, intelligence, or behavior types results in racism. Race has more of a social

The photographs helped me see the way the whites treated the black. The photographs were also specific in how the whites were bad to the black.The photographs were helpful and very detailed. They were also easy to understand. I would say that the photographs were my first choice for the Civil Rights Movement. The photographs are also very

Although the topic of race is a multifaceted topic with many elements that have developed over time, the topic race, however, has always been a way for people to justify personal gain by objectifying people’s inherent differences. Many authors and important figures like Charles Darwin and the Kellogg family used race and other techniques like eugenics the stripped away the thinly veiled cover that slightly suggested that all people were the same and partially equal. They wanted the people to understand that the only race to have the best chance surviving and over the best genetically fit race would to be to sterilize lesser races so that there would not be any competition or genetic impurity.

The article, Science and Race, by Jonathon Marks was interesting to me conceptually. I found myself experiencing a paradigm shift while reading this article. For many years, I, as well as many others, have assumed that race is biologically determined while ignoring the actual scientific and genetic information associated with that assumption. The research presented in this article displays that race is not a biological or genetically defined concept, rather it is a culturally constructed one. It brings me to wonder what categorization of humans means to society and why we have created these categories with an antiquated assumption about the biological makeup of variations within the human race. Marks asks the essential question of whether or not there is any scientific merit associated with the variation among humans being associated with a specific race. I think this particular topic of racial lines and their differences could

Define Race: Race is used to characterise a large population of the human population into distinct groups in regards to characteristics surrounding appearance including bone structure, skin colour, height and hair colour (“Race (Human Classification)”, 2014). Examples of different races include people from Asia (thinner eyes, black straight hair), Aboriginals (dark skin, dark hair, dark eyes), American Indians (Tanned), and Maori (large body, light brown skin and, in some cases, a

The development of the science of ‘race’ is regarded within the main literatures to have emerged during the late eighteenth and nineteenth century (Gouldburg, 1990). People where trying to explain human differences and development, which gave way for a verity of racial classifications and racial stereotypes (Gouldburg, 1990), Gouldburg (1990: 266) states ‘this transformed into a pseudo- biological property of communal life’, as race became linked with traits and reflections of identity

Once again, the reader is not completely convinced by the arguments within the article. Additionally, Hochman rests on a subjective statement regarding human biological diversity to prove his point when he writes that ‘our biological diversity is too small […] for race to be real” (Hochman). Whether or not these distinctions between racial groups are large or small, the fact that they exist at all is significant in proving just the opposite of the article’s objective. In fact, this statement seems to solidify evidence to the contrary of Hochman’s proposition, and upholds the fact that the biological distinctions among humans result in racial groupings. All said, the article is ineffective in disproving the biological context of race among humans, mainly due to weak evidence that is highly subjective in nature.

Using this new scientific approach, the current accepted cultural notion of race ought to shift. One can no longer base or classify one ‘race’ from another based on phenotypic occurrences. Genes hold the key. By understanding how genes connect us all except for a few minute differences of superficial appearance, demonstrates that race as a social construction is no longer useful. Scientific American gives us tangible evidence when it states “individuals from different populations are, on average, just slightly more different from one another than are individuals from the same population” (81). Someone who shares your same cultural traditions based on geographical location can differ genotypically more than someone from another region. The utility of race was once to separate and control the ‘different

What drew me to this image is the relevance of the topic today. The constant struggle African Americans faced and still continue to face is a severe issue in America. Between bigots and the societal way that all black are portrayed as bad, are still targeted. Looking back to just shy of a month from current day, the protests and counter-protests in Charlottesville, leading to violence quickly.