Race and Biology
Law, Citizenship, & Race
Scientific Racism & Eugenics
Medical Racism & Public Health
Levels of Racism
100

This 18th-century scientist classified humans into racial categories based on physical traits in Systema Naturae.

Carl Linnaeus

100

This court case was the first to use science-based racial categories to determine U.S. citizenship.

Ah Yup

100

This belief claims racial hierarchies are rooted in biology and supported by flawed scientific methods.

Scientific Racism

100

What was the goal of the Tuskegee Syphilis Study?

To observe the natural progression of untreated syphilis in Black men without treating them.

100

Define personally-mediated racism with an example.

Individual prejudice or discrimination; e.g., being followed in a store as they are suspected of shoplifting

200

This theory, central to eugenics, falsely claims intelligence and character traits are inherited biologically.

Hereditarianism / Eugenics

200

This legal concept classified individuals as Black if they had even “one drop” of African ancestry.

The One-Drop Rule

200

Eugenic sterilization programs in the U.S. primarily targeted which group?

Poor White people

200

What assumption did researchers make about Black men in the Tuskegee study?

That they were too promiscuous and would not seek treatment even if available.

200

What is internalized racism? Give an example.

When a person believes negative societal messages about their own group; e.g., using skin lightening products.

300

Despite sharing the same gene variant, African Americans in the U.S. show higher hypertension risk than Africans. Why is that?

Genetics alone do not completely account for differences in health outcomes; environmental and social factors are key.

300

Which Supreme Court case denied citizenship to someone from India, despite being “Caucasian” by anthropological terms?

Bhagat Singh Thind

300

What role did Charles Davenport play in advancing scientific racism and eugenics policy?

He promoted negative stereotypes about immigrants and influenced sterilization and immigration laws based on eugenic ideas.

300

What unethical medical experiments did the U.S. conduct in Guatemala in the 1940s?

Infected prisoners and mental patients with venereal diseases without their consent.

300

What is institutionalized racism? Give an example.

Policies or practices that disproportionately disadvantage certain racial groups; e.g., unequal funding and resources for historically marginalized communities

400

The Human Genome Project found that all humans are ___% genetically identical.

99.9%

400

How has the U.S. Census' racial classification system evolved over time?

Racial categories reflect shifting social and political definitions and rules used by the government.

400

What is a key contradiction Dorothy Roberts identifies in the scientific use of race?

That science uses race despite denying it has biological basis, creating inconsistency and confusion.

400

What does the Hispanic Paradox refer to?

The phenomenon that recent immigrants from Latin America often have better health than White Americans despite lower socioeconomic status.

400

What does it mean to say that racism is "prejudice plus power"?

 Racism involves both individual bias and systemic control to uphold unequal racial hierarchies.

500

Explain why the concept of biological race fails to account for observed health disparities.

Because race is a social construct, health disparities arise more from structural inequalities, access to care, and stress, not from genetic racial differences.

500

What law in Virginia required racial classification at birth and criminalized interracial marriage?

The Racial Integrity Act of 1924

500

Why is labeling certain studies as “pseudo-science” misleading, according to Roberts?

Because such studies often reflect mainstream scientific thinking of their time.

500

What does Millett et al. argue improves equity in health outcomes?

Equity in access and delivery of health care, as seen in nationalized systems like those in the UK and Canada.

500

What is the advantage of defining racism as a structured system of opportunity and value assignment?

It reveals the broader systemic nature of racism and helps connect individual experiences to institutional structures.