Name: The lie that invented racism
Uploaded: 2020-09-30T15:20:15Z
Duration: 18 min 12 s
Description: To understand and eradicate racist thinking, start at the beginning. That's what journalist and documentarian John Biewen did, leading to a trove of surprising and thought-provoking information on the "origins" of race. He shares his findings, supplying answers to fundamental questions about racism -- and lays out an exemplary path for practicing effective allyship.

To understand and eradicate racist thinking, start at the beginning. That's what journalist and documentarian John Biewen did, leading to a trove of surprising and thought-provoking information on the "origins" of race. He shares his findings, supplying answers to fundamental questions about racism -- and lays out an exemplary path for practicing effective allyship.

The lie that invented racism

Race is not a biological fact but a story invented just a few centuries ago to justify exploitation and inequality. The idea of whiteness and Blackness originated in 15th-century Portugal to rationalize the Atlantic slave trade, a lie later written into American law. Today, racism persists not as a misunderstanding but as a tool that protects systems of privilege and economic power. Recognizing these origins shifts responsibility for dismantling racism onto those who benefit from it.