Genetic Anti-Blackness: Exploring the Use of Analogies in Understanding Contemporary Racism

Abstract

Since slavery, racism and discrimination have continued to impact the social outcomes of Blacks despite efforts and laws put into place to alleviate the disadvantages. A contemporary project developed by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the New York Times called for the re-examination of the legacy of slavery. With re-examining the consequence of slavery, the lens has been widened, resulting in a more robust interpretation of racism. Social issues have historic roots and thus require a multilayered approach to map out and examine the culminated effects of phenomenon. In this paper, the author uses Beckert and Rockman’s DNA analogy (2016) to merge biology, history, and sociology to provide a critical overview of theories of racism that have emerged since slavery, and to detail the phenomenon of contemporary racism. By connecting past eras of racism using something familiar, racial discourse can potentially move beyond the frustration of racism being a permanent entity in society.