It's a simple truth.
People are different. Throughout history, these differences have been a source of community strength and personal identity. They have also been the basis for discrimination and oppression.
The idea of "race" has been used historically to describe these differences and justify mistreatment of people and even genocide. Today, contemporary scientific understanding of human variation is beginning to challenge "racial" differences, and even question the very concept of race.
RACE: Are We So Different?, developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, is the first national exhibition to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States.
Visitors to RACE: Are We So Different? will meet trained volunteers there to encourage dialogue and reflection, answer questions, and help visitors explore the exhibition. We hope you enjoy getting to know them.
Name: Harminder Kaur
“As a mother of three and a physician, I have always worked with people of diverse cultures individually and in groups. My personnal journey began in India, then Zambia, then the United Kingdom and now the United States. I have always wanted to learn more about Race and culture and be part of this conversation. I look forward to volunteering!”
Next online coversation: September 21st, 3-4pm: The Scholar Is In.
Join us for a chat with Tom Guglielmo, Associate Professor in the George Washington University's American Studies Department. He will discuss his current research for a book tentatively titled Race War: World War II and the Crisis of American Democracy. He'll discuss his findings, including how race shaped the draft, military blood banks, and other stories in a multiracial synthesis of Americans during the war years.
Prof. Guglielmo's teaching and research interests include race and ethnic studies, immigration, and twentieth-century U.S. social, cultural, and political history. His book, White on Arrival: Italians, Race, Color, and Power in Chicago, 1890-1945, won the Allan Nevins Prize from the Society of American Historians and the Frederick Jackson Turner Award from the Organization of American Historians.
Learn more about the history of race in America, the science of human variation, and more.
Visit understandingrace.org, the RACE Project website >
Download flyer of family activities occuring October 21st at the National Museum of Natural History.
Museum Blog: My journey as a facilitator for RACE: Are We So Different?
Museum Blog: The Locker Project Comes to National Museum of Natural History
Read a special issue of AnthroNotes, the National Museum of Natural History's anthropology publication for educators, published in conjunction with the RACE exhibit (PDF).
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