Photograph is courtesy of American Anthropological Association and Science Museum of Minnesota

RACE:
Are We So Different?

Please note: Ongoing Activity Relating to the Exhibit

It's a simple truth. People are different. Throughout history, these differences have been a source of community strength and personal identity. They have also been the basis for discrimination and oppression.

The idea of "race" has been used historically to describe these differences and justify mistreatment of people and even genocide. Today, contemporary scientific understanding of human variation is beginning to challenge "racial" differences, and question the very concept of race.

RACE: Are We So Different? was developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota. It is the first national exhibition to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States. The RACE Project is a public education project, and visit the RACE website, go to www.understandingRACE.org.

RACE at The Cleveland Museum of Natural History

According to the American Anthropological Association, "The RACE project will help individuals of all ages better understand the origins and manifestations of race and racism in everyday life by investigating race and human variation through the framework of science."

The exhibit explores the concept of race through three primary themes:
• The science of human variation
• The history of the idea of race
• The contemporary experience of race and racism in the Unites States

The exhibit presents these themes in an open, thoughtful setting. Throughout the space, specially designed educational stations provide hands-on exercises that help visitors examine their own race and ideas about race. The interesting and thought-provoking activities at these stations stimulate discourse about the topic of race in our society, as scientific and historical evidence challenge the misconceptions and commonly held perceptions about racial issues and prejudice.

RACE: Event Information

In conjunction with the RACE exhibit, there will a variety of local programs that will further engage dialogue and discussions concerning our contemporary experience of race and racism.   

Follow-up with the special RACE events and programming at the RACE: Photo Gallery. 

A Project of the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota. Funded by Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation. National presenting sponsor is Best Buy™ Children's Foundation. Local presenting sponsor is the Dominion Foundation. Also sponsored, in part, by American Greetings Corporation, Forest City Enterprises Charitable Foundation, The Nord Family Foundation, and Saint Luke’s Foundation of Cleveland, Ohio.

The Cleveland Museum of Natural History is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture.