Books
‘Fatal Invention’
“Race is an invented political system, not a
natural biological division. The Human
Genome Project has confirmed that the
human species cannot be divided into
genetically distinguishable races. Race is a
political grouping created to support slavery
and colonialism, and its boundary lines have
shifted over time and across nations to suit
political ends…
For the last three centuries, science… has
been instrumental in justifying the concept of
biological races—and this century’s genom-
ic science is no different… Despite the sci-
entific and political evidence, some scien-
tists are attempting to modernize the myth
that race is a biological category... What’s
new is that today’s racial science claims to
divide human beings into natural groups with
more accurate precision and without the
taint of racism.”
—Excerpted from Part I (pgs. 20-27)
T
he mapping of the human gene has
established, scientifically, that there
is only one race, the human race. So,
one might naturally expect any arbitrary
groupings by experts of individuals along
color lines to cease. Think again.
Regrettably, this is not the case, according
to Professor Dorothy Roberts of
Northwestern Law School.
She is the author of Fatal Invention, a cau-
tionary examination of the current state of
affairs in terms of the intersection of ethnic-
ity and bioethics. In the book, she issues a
dire warning that researchers are repackag-
ing outmoded notions of race by hiding
behind benign-sounding euphemisms like
“geographic ancestry” when they should
really be disposing of such baseless catego-
rizations entirely.
For example, you may be familiar with
television commercials being run by ances-
try-testing companies offering to determine
what percent white, black, Asian and
Native-American you are based on a DNA
sample. However, the perspicacious
Professor Roberts warns that these ads erro-
neously “reinforce the myth that human
beings were originally divided into pure
races that exist in our genes.”
Perhaps more problematic, she suggests,
is the way in which the medical community
seems to be “searching for genes to explain
racial disparities in health care that are actu-
ally caused by social inequities.” In this
regard, Roberts indicates that “In 2005, the
U.S. Food and Drug Administration
approved the first race-specific drug, a heart
failure therapy that was targeted to black
patients for marketing reasons.”
A seminal appeal for the findings of the
Genome Project to be applied not in service
of separation and exploitation but to pro-
mote the ideals of inclusion and equality
among all members of the human
Fatal Invention:
How Science, Politics and Big Business Re-Create Race in the 21st
Century
Dorothy Roberts, Esq.
The New Press
Hardcover, $29.95, 400 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59558-495-3
We honor the many
accomplishments of African
Americans.
It is our primary goal as a
labor union to better the
lives of all people working
in the building trades
through advocacy, civil
demonstration, and the
long-held belief that work-
ers deserve a "family wage" - fair pay for an honest day's work.
A family wage, and the benefits that go with it, not only strength-
ens families, but also allows our communities to become
stronger, more cohesive, and more responsive to their citizens'
needs.
Our family wage agenda reflects our commitment to people
working in the building trades, and to workers everywhere. In this
small way, we are doing our part to help people achieve the
American Dream. This dream that workers can hold dear regard-
less of race, color, national origin, gender, creed, or religious
beliefs.
The Pacific Northwest Regional Council of Carpenters
Representing more than 5.000 construction workers in Oregon State.
Do you want to know more about becoming a
Union carpenter?
July 20, 2011 The Portland Skanner Page 7