Anti-racism 101

Anti-racism Basics - Primarily in the United States

Please remember that these lessons are regarding racism. Belonging to another marginalized community (ex: LGBTQ+, being a woman, etc.) does not exclude you from needing to understand this and you should not allow it to impact your anti-racism journey.

Definitions/Terms Page

"The concept of race has pervaded social policy and political discourse for 400 years. Race has become deeply rooted in our lives, institutions, and cultures such that the notion of race as a biological myth may seem unfathomable to most people. In fact, there is no biological basis to race. It is a purely social construct fabricated by 16th and 17th-century scientists and perpetuated thereafter." (Rajendra Morey, 2023)

More Resources:

Human Migration Map: PBS Learning Media

Homo sapiens: Brittanica

Biology of Race

Racial "biology" has been used to justify violence against African Americans, as well as other indigenous peoples around the world. Here are the facts:

"The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 confirmed humans are 99.9% identical at the DNA level and there is no genetic basis for race." (National Institute of Health, 2021)

"Through racialization, physical characteristics became the basis for social positioning, and ideas about those characteristics were tied to supposed mental, social, moral, and intellectual traits, among others. These folk understandings of difference were then used to inform policy, law, and social organization." (Lund, 2024)

"Scientific racism is an organized system of misusing science to promote false scientific beliefs in which dominant racial and ethnic groups are perceived as being superior. Scientific racism unfortunately continues to exist, and we must continually monitor science to avoid scientific racism." (Vence Bonham, 2025)

The Slave Trade

The slave trade began in the 1500s and was legal until the early 1800s. It did not end until the 1860s (Wolfe, 2020), and the effects of it are still seen today. Below are some facts on enslavement itself and its longterm impacts on Africans and their descendants.

Enslavement:

"More than 12.5 million Africans [were] kidnapped and trafficked through the Transatlantic Slave Trade, only 10.7 million survived the journey" (EJI).

The route slave ships took between nations was called The Middle Passage. Around 1.8 million enslaved Africans died during this journey due to conditions on the slave ships (Wolfe, 2020).
- "In addition to seasickness, the captives suffered from dysentery and outbreaks of smallpox in the crowded conditions. Mortality rates among captives averaged above 20 percent in the first decades of the slave trade and about 10 percent by 1800" (Wolfe, 2020).

Less than 5% of enslaved Africans ended up in the United States, with many others going to the Caribbean and Brazil (NAARC).
- "Brazil [was] the last nation in the Western Hemisphere to formally abolish slavery" (ILO, 2008).

"Enslaved persons suffered a variety of miserable and often fatal maladies... Common symptoms among enslaved populations included blindness, abdominal swelling, bowed legs, skin lesions, and convulsions... Diarrhea, dysentery, whooping cough, and respiratory diseases as well as worms pushed the infant and early childhood death rate of enslaved children to twice that experienced by White infants and children" (Mintz).

Key Impacts Beyond Enslavement:

"The evidence suggests that it has affected a wide range of important outcomes, including economic prosperity, ethnic diversity, institutional quality, the prevalence of conflict, the prevalence of HIV, trust levels, female labour force participation rates, and the practice of polygyny." (FairPlanet)

"Racism and skewed value judgments that created class, social status and respect based on colour." (FairPlanet)

"Robbing African countries off the much needed labour force by taking men and women at their prime and productive age not only affected the economic activities then, but has been attributed to the poverty experienced in the continent over the years." (FairPlanet)

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More Resources:

Human Migration Map: PBS Learning Media

Homo sapiens: Brittanica

Human Migration

Human migration originated within Africa itself, as Homo sapiens were unable to expand beyond the continent due to desert/drought conditions and the ocean. Our species was able to migrate north and out of Africa, but had to stay in warmer climates like those in Asia and Australia until we were able to adapt, innovate, and eventually live in the cold. Humanity migrated north and then east across the Bering land bridge, eventually hitting Alaska and the Americas (CAS).

Today, immigration is commonly discussed- often without the knowledge or discussion of humanity's history of migration. The United States was created through emigration from Britain and subsequent colonization of indigenous lands in the Americas. The same is true of many nations, as emigration/immigration, manifest destiny, and colonialism shaped the world we live in today.

Harmful Misconceptions

"I don't care/This doesn't matter anymore."

This is a train of thought that is surprisingly common amongst people today, even among those that identify as democratic or liberal. This concept is incredibly harmful and leads to individuals choosing not to care about oppression while staring right at it. Racism, both overt (obvious) and covert (hidden), is still very much an issue and impacts many people of color on a daily basis. Please continue to the other Anti-Racism lessons for more data/evidence.

Scientific Racism Origins:

"Racial classification was a welcome tool for those who wanted to motivate the violent conquest of people, land, and resources" (Lund, 2024).

Scientific Racism:

"Scientific racism is an organized system of misusing science to promote false scientific beliefs in which dominant racial and ethnic groups are perceived as being superior. Scientific racism unfortunately continues to exist, and we must continually monitor science to avoid scientific racism." (Vence Bonham, 2025)