Race: Power of an Illusion

The Center for the Healing of Racism presents “Race: The Power of an Illusion,” a powerful three-part documentary series that explores the phenomenon we call Race.  Each weekly session begins with the screening of one of the three episodes of the series, originally aired by PBS in 2003.  Each week’s screening will be followed by a dialogue about the ideas presented in the film.  “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.  

Episode 2,  August 9 – 7-9 PM:  “The Story We Tell” uncovers the roots of the race concept in North America, the 19th century science that legitimized 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.”

Episode 3,  August 16 – 7-9 PM:  “The House We Live In” asks, if race is not biology, what is it? This episode uncovers how race resides not in nature but in politics, economics and culture. It reveals how our social institutions “make” race by disproportionately channeling resources, power, status and wealth to white people.

This series is free and open to the public. Registration is required and limited to the first 60 registrants. Reply to email [email protected] or Call 713-520-8226 and leave your name and contact information.