Celina Chatman Nelson,
Chicago, IL.
We are constantly trying to essentialize race when in fact it is not a biological reality–there is no gene for race, nor even any particular constellation of genes that identifies a race. We made race up to categorize people like we categorize things. That said, because these categories are so useful to us in helping us to simplify the world as we encounter its many inhabitants each day, we rely so heavily on the meanings assigned to them and thus we live real racialized lives. If only we could celebrate these dimensions of difference instead of demonizing them; if only we could truly appreciate the beauty and functionality of diversity.
