What the heck is race? 

A wise person once told me to beware of any idea that did not have a clear definition.  “Race” seems to be one of those.  Trying to nail down this idea is like nailing Jello to a tree.

For instance, why do we call a person “black”.  I suppose, originally, it was identified by skin color.  However, most people we call black today are more of a beige or tan.  Even more confusing, many of my students from India or Pakistan have darker skin than many folks that are called black.  So, what is the real reason a person is called black? 

The President’s mother was white, and his father was black, so that makes him “black” even though he is more of a beige, actually.  But, why is he called black and not white?  Any person with one parent who is black is called black.  For instance, Tiger Woods is called black because his father was black.  What about his Asian mother?  She doesn’t count?  

The picture above is of Mariah Carey.  She is supposed to be “black”.   (What!!!!????)  Why?  Because she had a parent that was labeled black.  I don’t get it. 

OK, well, maybe the rule is that if you had any ancestor that was once labeled black, then you are black.  But, we are all descended, science says, from one woman who lived in Africa.  If she lived in Africa, she would have to have black skin, or she would have died of skin cancer or a really bad sunburn.  So, we are all descended from a black woman.  So, we are all black. 

If we are all black, why do we keep talking about race?  It turns out that the idea of “race” entered the world fairly recently.  It’s just a leftover term from a confused period in history.  Let’s get rid of it.  I am hereby initiating a campaign to eliminate the term from the language altogether.  Unless, of course, we are talking about something like the 100 meter dash.