Confronting racism in the history of studying evolution
Below is the post to my last assignment in my graduate evolution class where I had to write an op-ed piece based on communicating evolution in the present day. I thought I’d share it with all of you.
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As a committed student of science and an advocate for JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion), I am calling on the scientific community to acknowledge and move beyond the racist thinking of some 19th and 20th century evolutionists, social Darwinists, and the Father of Evolution himself, Charles Darwin. Make no mistake that Mr. Darwin was a revolutionary thinker and among the greatest trailblazers for science. However, that should never be an excuse to absolve him from racist thinking nor should anyone be excused for demeaning “their fellow human beings in the name of science” (Jeynes, 2011).
To get straight to the point, there is absolutely no context that people of color are lower or “adolescent” forms of race than white people (Jeynes, 2011). Because if you take away our skin, all that you see are our musculoskeletal structures, which are all by in large the same. Sure, there are slight differences in skull size, in which Darwinists have claimed that African Americans have a smaller brain capacity (Jeynes, 2011). But I bet much to their dismay, there is hardly a correlation between cranial capacity and intelligence (Jeynes, 2011). For the record, anybody can study evolution and anybody can become a scientist. Evolution should never be used to assume inferiority or inequality. We all have “the same collection of genes” that is quite genetically diverse (Kolbert, 2018).
If we go back 300,000 years, we can find our very roots in Africa (Kolbert, 2018). When we moved throughout or away from the continent, our genes responded to new conditional settings and available resources. Mutations (i.e. small changes in our DNA) occurring as a result of new environments as well as exposure to the sun are what have made us look distinctive over generations, but nothing that would suggest one race is superior or inferior to another (Kolbert, 2018). For example, East Asians have a gene variant that allowed their hair to become thicker to possibly prevent parasites, as well as more sweat glands to possibly adapt to certain climatic conditions. Did these characteristics make these people more superior or inferior to others? As an East Asian, I can tell you no; they just survived better (Kolbert, 2018). The same goes with people who have darker skin to protect themselves from harmful UV rays in tropical latitudes.
Furthermore, lumping one race together should never be evidently conclusive. No one race is homogenous, aka “monolithic.” There is great diversity among Africans and Asians as there is also diversity among Europeans (Kolbert, 2018). The one fundamental thing that is the same for every single human being that was alive in Darwin’s time and that is alive today is that we are all the same exact species, Homo sapiens. No current existing human is a separate species, a subspecies, or a “missing link” in primate evolution (Jeynes, 2011).
We cannot advance science forward without taking a good, long, uncomfortable look at our history of scientific racism. Science is for and can be done by all of us, no matter the level. So, what can we do from here on out? First, denounce the dehumanization of human beings wrought by 19th and 20th century Darwinists and evolutionists. Second, if you haven’t yet, make space for people of color in the scientific community, so their voices can be more clearly heard. They, too, are the face of the scientific community, and I’m proud to be part of it. We have a lot to contribute and share what has generally never been given the spotlight before. Third, remember that in science, mistakes are always meant to be made. If there is something that you still don’t understand about scientific racism, seek out another perspective, allow people of color to also lead, and understand your role in working with them.
Jeynes, W.H. (2011). Race, Racism, and Darwinism. Education and Urban Society, 43(5), 535–559. https://journals-ohiolink-edu.proxy.lib.miamioh.edu/apexprod/rws_ejcsearch/r/1507/99?p99_entity_id=2183560&p99_entity_type=MAIN_FILE&cs=3NwPktY0SD1xBCvdMUKg498slot2xh7TfA5M2SZkwFOCPhcC-PXoRC96kiqc50DmH5MwEaQdudbarSqtVa1EYew
Kolbert, E. 2018. There’s No Scientific Basis for Race — It’s a Made-Up Label. National Geographic Magazine. Accessed at Link: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-genetics-science-africa/#close
