Jonathan Marks’ documentary “Understanding Race” examines the development and function of the notion of race in society. According to Marks (2014), the concept of race was invented to legitimize the enslavement and abuse of Black people and to perpetuate White dominance. The Damer family, for example, endured ongoing prejudice and discrimination, as did many other Black families in Mississippi during the twentieth century (Marks, 2014). This was due to the state’s deeply rooted segregation and racial supremacy. In Mississippi, Black people experienced extensive economic, political, and social inequities and violent acts of racism such as lynchings, physical abuse, and other types of racial terror. He also explains how the concept of race has been utilized to build social, political, and economic hierarchies and to split people into distinct and unequal groupings. Conversely, scientists contend that human distinctions are only surface-level since they do not represent all humans’ innate physiological commonalities (Marks, 2014). The human species, Homo sapiens, has great genetic diversity, yet this diversity is minor compared to the overall quantity of genetic information found in each individual. Race is useful because it allows humans to classify and comprehend others and the environment around them straightforwardly and conveniently. It develops a classification scheme that can describe variations in people, such as anatomical traits, cultural behaviors, and social rank (Marks, 2014). This enables people to rapidly and quickly identify people depending on their observed race without obtaining more specific or nuanced facts. However, the expediency of race is frequently sacrificed for accuracy and fairness. Scientific evidence does not support the concept of race as a valid and physiologically based classification system. Alternatively, it is a socially constructed category that has influenced historical, political, and cultural elements. As a result, considerable mistakes and assumptions about persons and groups due to their supposed race might occur. “Understanding Race” presents a historical and critical perspective on race and its societal role. Mark contends that the concept of race is a social construct that has been used to legitimize slavery and the mistreatment of Black people and preserve White dominance. He also emphasizes the importance of race in perpetuating racial disparities and the societal divide. Individuals can act to challenge and change the systems and institutions that maintain racial inequities and prejudice by studying the history and function of race.
The concept of race is used in society to divide and control people. It establishes a hierarchy in which White people are at the top and persons of color are at the bottom. This classification is used to legitimize uneven treatment toward individuals because of their ascribed racial group and to perpetuate White supremacy and control. This distinction has also been utilized to construct laws, regulations, and organizations that perpetuate racial disparities, such as institutional racism, vote suppression, and the justice system.
Delores Newton’s ideology of race is that the concept of race is a social construct created to justify the enslavement and oppression of Black people and to maintain White superiority. She believes that the idea of race has been used to divide people into separate and unequal groups and to create a hierarchical system that perpetuates racial inequalities and discrimination.
Americans were taught that there are three biological races: White, Black, and Asian. This classification was developed during European imperialist expansion and was employed to legitimize the exploitation and abuse of Black people, as well as the forcible expulsion from their homelands of Native Americans, who are closely related to the Asian race. This categorization scheme was also utilized to establish a racial hierarchy, with White people on top and people of color on the bottom.
Reference
Marks, Jonathan. (2014). Understanding Race. [Video]. YouTube. Web.