People are different—it’s a simple truth!  Throughout history, differences have been a source of community survival and personal identity, and a basis for discrimination and prejudice.

But are we all really so different?  Present-day scientists are beginning to challenge so-called “racial” differences and question the very idea of race. By doing so, all of us are being asked to reconsider what race and racism are, and how these concepts affect our lives today and our understandings of the past. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States.