As America’s legal, race-based slavery waned in the mid-1800s, a new narrative was written to justify White Supremacy: Scientific Racism. Scholars and medical experts – all privileged White men – developed theory, methodology, and data to shroud White Supremacy with the legitimacy of modern science. Nowadays, no respectable, educated leader would espouse Scientific Racism to support White Supremacy. Yet much of the theory, vocabulary, and methodology of Scientific Racism persists today -- e.g., in discussions of immigration policy, the educational “achievement gap,” economics, and public health.

This workshop will:

• Introduce the Scientific Racism model and narrative.

• Demonstrate how it has been incorporated into American education, medicine, and public policy.

• Consider the costs of this false narrative.

• Identify strategies that can be used to challenge vestiges of the Scientific Racism framework in our workplaces, communities, and public discourse today.

Participants will work in small groups (1) to consider the legacy of Scientific Racism in American institutions, public policy, and their own communities, (2) to identify the costs of this narrative to the BIPOC and white communities, (3) to role-play and practice their preferred strategies to expose or debunk this narrative when they encounter it or suspect its relevance, and (4) to consider the challenges this will likely present. As a result of participating in this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify the basic tenets, practices, and characteristics of the Scientific Racism narrative.

2. Recognize its influence on contemporary practices and discourse.

3. Imagine, propose, and discuss alternative narratives, approaches, and actions.