PBS~Race: The Power of an Illusion (PBS) Part Two: The Story We Tell

PBS~Race: The Power of an Illusion (PBS) Part Two: The Story We Tell http://www.pbs.org/race Part Two of 3 - 56 minutes ABOUT THE FILM . The division of the world's peoples into distinct groups - "red," "black," "white" or "yellow" peoples - has became so deeply imbedded in our psyches, so widely accepted, many would promptly dismiss as crazy any suggestion of its falsity. Yet, that's exactly what this provocative, new three-hour series by California Newsreel claims. Race - The Power of an Illusion questions the very idea of race as biology, suggesting that a belief in race is no more sound than believing that the sun revolves around the earth. Yet race still matters. Just because race doesn't exist in biology doesn't mean it isn't very real, helping shape life chances and opportunities. By asking, What is this thing called 'race'?, a question so basic it is rarely asked, Race - The Power of an Illusion helps set the terms that any further discussion of race must first take into account. Ideal for human biology, anthropology, sociology, American history, American studies, and cultural studies Part 2- The Story We Tell uncovers the roots of the race concept in North America, the 19th century science that legitimated it, and how it came to be held so fiercely in the western imagination. The episode is an eye-opening tale of how race served to rationalize, even justify, American social inequalities as "natural." Outlines the history of social and economic forces which shaped 'race' relations. Graphic illustrations of self-interested directions taken by politics and psuedo-science which have led America on a racist path. Federal funding for CPB/PBS is going to be cut significantly over the next two years, so if you watch any of these programs, please support your local PBS Station by making a contribution or by purchasing their DVDs. Visit the producer's website: http://www.newsreel.org/