Community viewing and conversation of the three-part PBS documentary “RACE – The Power of Illusion.” Check out the preview or read more about the series. Join us for one, two or all three parts: January 16, 23, and 30. Offered in partnership with the Wellesley Community Center.
Part 1: The Difference Between Us
Episode one in this three-part series follows a dozen students, including African American athletes and Asian American string players, who sequence and compare their own DNA. The results surprise them—and us—when they discover their closest genetic matches are as likely to be with people from other “races” as their own. Much of this episode is devoted to understanding why. Looking at skin color differences, disease, human evolution, even genetic traits, we learn there’s not one characteristic, one trait, or even a single gene that distinguishes all members of one “race” from another. One by one, our myths about race—including “natural” superiority and inferiority—are taken apart.