LABEL MY RACE HUMAN

"He believed that like skin color, cranial profile, etc., went hand in hand with declarations of group character and aptitude."

The different physical traits of African Americans and Indians became markers or symbols of their status differences. The concept of race was developed and established by a study and thesis paper written by Johann Friedrich Blumenbach. It is amazing how the mere words of another person can effect and change the course of history, and the wealth, health and well being of another. Mere words, whether based on truth, personal beliefs or delusion can make or break a world, a nation, a life, mere words.

The label of race in America was used as a way for the proponents of slavery to continue using humans as free labor, to keep the poor, poor and make the rich richer while integrating the idea in the mind of the Caucasian that their 'race' was superior to that of the Indians and the African. Only society makes a difference between people.

There is nothing in the law of nature that makes one color of person superior to another despite the fact cultural differences, language barrier, and the color of skin all fused together to form a case set against another group of people.

Blumenbach, born May 11, 1752 was a German physiologist and anthropologist. His thesis paper written about the difference in people and titled On the Natural Varieties of Mankind was considered one of the most influential papers of his time and basically established the way different races are seen in the world today. The separation of the people by race was established in order to institute the separation by social and economic differences. 

The idea of the Caucasian race to be superior to other races has been spread across the entire world. How people have been accepted and treated within the context of a given society or culture has a direct impact on how they perform in that society. Racial beliefs constitute myths about the diversity in the human species and about the abilities and behavior of people placed into "racial" categories.

 The myths combined the perception of behavior and physical features together in the public mind, and blocked the ability to understand behavior is not a genetic determination of a person. Temperaments, dispositions, and personalities, regardless of genetic, are developed by the life we live. Blumenbach's theory was based on his study of 60 human skulls, with these skulls Blumenbach divided humans in to fiv e races, Caucasian (white), Mongolian (yellow), Malayan (brown), Ethiopian (black), and American (red). Later in life Blumenbach was in Switzerland when he came across a beautiful Black woman who caused him to do further anatomical research and come up with the belief that Africans were not inferior to the rest of mankind. Unfortunately these later ideas were far less influential than his earlier assertions with regard to the perceived relative qualities of the different so-called races.

He believed that like skin color, cranial profile, etc., went hand in hand with declarations of group character and aptitude. *The "fairness" and relatively high brows of Caucasians were held to be apt physical expressions of a loftier mentality and a more generous spirit. *The epicanthic folds around the eyes of Mongolians and their slightly sallow outer epidermal layer bespoke their supposedly crafty, literal-minded nature
*The dark skin and relatively sloping craniums of Ethiopians were taken as proof of a closer genetic relations to the apes. Despite the fact the skin of chimpanzees and gorillas beneath the hair is whiter than the average Caucasian skin and orangutans and some monkey species have foreheads fully as vertical as the typical Englishman or German. Blumenbach's analysis sealed the fate of every race other than Caucasian as inferior. Looking over the list of the awesome people that have made America the fantastic country it is today, it is has been proven time and time again that the 'inferior' label placed on many races is false. Basically what it all boils down to is the fact one set of people decided they were better than another, used the unknown about the Indians and Africans' culture to foster the belief further and spurred the lies and discrimination to justify the psychological, and physical torture aimed at another group of people
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Blumenbach died January 22, 1840. His classification and the scientific concept of human races was widely accepted for about two hundred years, but in the late twentieth century, it came to light that Homo sapiens could not be divided into races or subspecies. So where did the term Caucasian originate? The term Caucasian is sometimes used to refer to people whose ancestry can be traced back to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, Russia, and in certain areas of the Horn of Africa and Central Asia. In Europe (especially in Russia and the surrounding area), Caucasian usually refers exclusively to people who are from the Caucasus region or speak the Caucasian languages. Usage of the term Caucasian as a racial classification declined in Europe in the 19th century because it did not allow for enough distinctions as required by the new forms of nationalism that were emerging. In The United Kingdom, Caucasian refers to people from the Caucasus. In Canada, the term Caucasian is known, but rarely used as a description of white people. In Australia and New Zealand, the term Caucasian is mainly used in police offender descriptions. In New Zealand, the terms more commonly used to describe white people are Pakeha, European New Zealander, or simply New Zealander. In the United States, Caucasian has primarily been used as a distinction based on skin color, for a group commonly referred to as White Americans, as defined by the government and Census Bureau. A large segment of the Hispanic community in the United States can be scientifically categorized as Caucasoid, but may not be labeled as white (by themselves or others). The question of a difference between the Caucasian race and white as a racial category in the United States has led to at least one set of major legal contradictions in the United States Supreme Court in the pre-Civil Rights era. In the case of Ozawa v. United States (1922), the court ruled that a law which extended U.S. citizenship only to whites did not apply to fair-skinned people from Japan, because: The term white person, as used in [the law], and in all the earlier naturalization laws, beginning in 1790, applies to such persons as were known in this country as white, in the racial sense, when it was first adopted, and is confined to persons of the Caucasian Race. A Japanese born in Japan, being clearly not a Caucasian cannot be made a citizen of the United States. However a year later, the same court was faced with the trial of United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind (1923), where they ruled that someone from the Indian subcontinent could not become a naturalized United States citizen, because they were not white. The Supreme Court conceded that anthropologists had classified Indians as Caucasians, and thus the same race as whites, as defined in Ozawa. However, it concluded that the average man knows perfectly well there are unmistakable and profound differences, and denied citizenship. After Blumenbach's time, the term Caucasian no longer was associated with peoples from the Caucasus but continued to be used as a racial indicator. Wow, amazing how one person's opinion, a mere word shaped America. We are a nation that thrives on 'mere' words to shape our actions and thoughts...mere can almost be integrated into our name A-mer-i-ca.

Beads On A String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History ~

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"We, if only seen as a ‘casing’ or a vessel- we cannot change, as a thinking individual we can cause enormous changes. We just have to be accepting of the differences and learn from history. Remember history was written in more than Black and White."

Ignore the skin I'm in and get to know me for who I am. In saying this, I have to say I can't wait until February to make this point, there is so much to know about the Black race, all races, we should shout out 365 days.

If we are honest we will accept the fact, tension in the world boils down to the color of a person’s skin, ridiculousness. We can do all, be all, live in the White House and in the end, those of us who are Black, continue to be seen as blight. Maybe it's because some never bother to get to know the true person, they only look at skin tone.

 In the history book Beads on a String-America’s Racially Intertwined Biographical History chapter three is titled Voices of Change it begins with this quote:

“There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them are without signification.” 1 Corinthians 14:10 and has a section dedicated to activism and the people who stepped out to confront the injustices directed at people of specific ethnicity.

As the author I started the chapter with a small bit of history pertaining to members of my family. These members, my father Adam Wade and cousin Robert Sampia, fought and succeeded in the desegregation of what is now Lamar University   in Beaumont, Texas. How many of us cannot find a single member of our family who has participated in the formation of history? It doesn’t matter the color of your skin or your belief system we have all voiced and accomplished a change. We are all significant.



This belief is the reason I wrote Beads on a String-America's Racially Intertwined Biographical History.

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This post was originally titled Dressing the Part and shared on with Literary Lunes Publications as my view of Black History Month.

With the removal of the warm, thick hooded coat of January’s obscurity, we exit the first month of the year and step into the blatant exposure of February’s stark cold reality. Where scars of old are unceremoniously ripped open, let to bleed and reawaken hurt and pain, all in the guise of history, recognition and celebration.
February, the only month of the year I have no choice, but to dress the part and look at myself as being more than just another human. In February I am no longer a common American or a mere woman. I am reminded I am different. I am a Black American.
This difference which in actual fact goes no deeper than the upper level of pigmentation of the skin, has been the determining factor of life and death. Success and failure love and hate.

I like to think of myself as a very free thinking open minded person. Never see myself as a color nor do I feel as if I should slot myself as a particular race…until someone or some event points it out.

In February, the event is Black History Month. In February I pull on my best Baptist Church Lady clothes, slap on the big hat, hold my head up high, poke out my chest and look down on the peons as I sit and watch the lives and deaths of my ancestors being exposed to the world. And I want to cry. I hurt for the ancestors of those who committed those crimes. I cry for the newer generation who do not follow the hateful discrimination of their family members. How disappointed they must be in their forefathers. How tired they must be of having to relive this year after year. I know I am. I’m tired of being seen as a color. I just want to be known for who I am.

I sometimes wonder if Black Americans fight a losing battle for equalization because the battle is not against ‘us’ per say, but against a sense of shame. Shame for an action is hard to wipe away. You can apologize for wrongs which have been done but as long as the object of shame is seen, the shame is still there and eventually shame is substituted with anger and irritation and the object becomes a victim again.  As long as we (Black people) have been in America you would assume we would now be an integral part of her structure. We shouldn’t have to be paraded in front of the world one month, no, a mere 28 days, out of a year.

We shouldn’t have to repeatedly shove the atrocities committed to our ancestors in the faces of all. These things are facts of history and should be taught to our children on the daily as are all aspects of things that have occurred in America.

Though we strive to be like our White counterparts, accepted unconditionally we are still fighting to be tolerated. I call this ridiculousness. In order to tolerate someone or something we have to step out of our comfort zone. The hardest thing in man’s mind is to be tolerant of another or to keep an open mind. We judge without thought because something or someone is different.  As an author of color I have to confess the trepidation I felt when having my books published. The doubts I harbor have nothing to do with my ability as a writer, but in the willingness of the non-colored world to accept my writings. To read the words and see people who live through the same kind of situations and handle things in the same way as any breathing individual. We don’t all gang bang, use drugs, or live the baby-mama drama. I laugh now at my wish to keep my face and bio off the back covers. Life is not fair nor is it equal in its praises or recognition.  Humans are a selfish entity believing we are better than another because of our race, religion or sexual orientation. The fight for racial and social equalization continues and will continue as long as man breathes. Our unification should grow because of our differences and if we are honest with ourselves we would accept the fact our differences are only skin deep. In religion, anyone can choose which path to follow. In education, we can all go as far as we choose.  In jobs or professionalism, whether or not to be a parent, or who to marry all are conscious choices.

We, if only seen as a ‘casing’ or a vessel cannot change, as a thinking individual we can cause enormous changes. We just have to be tolerant of the differences and learn from history. Remember history was written in more than Black and White.


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