Commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther

During 2018, in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther
King, Jr., the National Geographic (NG) published a series focused on the human diversity of
people who were Biracial, Muslim, Latino, Asian American, and Native American. The
publishers acknowledged the magazine’s century (established 1888) of racist coverage of
civilizations of non-Western European cultural descent. In 1916, an issue identified Aboriginal
Australians as ‘savages having lowest intelligence of all human beings’. A 1941 issue used a
slavery-era slur, ‘Pickaninny’, to describe African American California cotton workers.
So many of the horrors of past centuries can be traced to the idea that one race is inferior to
another. NG did little to push its readers beyond stereotypes ingrained in white American culture
and, for the most part, ignored people of color in the US prior to the 1970s. Racial distinctions
continue to shape our politics, our neighborhoods, and our sense of selves (Elizabeth Kolbert).
The new editor (first female and first Jewish person) commissioned the April 2018 issue to
explore how race defines, separates and unites people in the US. The issue also encourages
perspectives from readers through its #IDefineMe campaign, designed to continue the discussion
about the complexity of race and identity in today’s society.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2018/04/race-twins-black-white-biggs/

1. Click on the link above and READ the entire article from The Race Issue in National
   Geographic, These Twins Will Make You Rethink Race.
   a. Review the video (1:27 long) of the twins, within the article (directly above the caption,
   “These twins are happy with their different skin colors. Can’t we all be?” NOTE: Several
   videos will automatically load. You may have to refresh your browser to see the required
   video featuring Millie and Marcia.
   b. Click on the picture of Millie and Maria with their dad, Michael, and review the five
   pictures of their family when the twins were younger. (click X to close and return to
   article)
2. Write a paper, thoroughly covering the following areas:
   a. Provide a detailed summary of the article, including the video of Millie and Marcia.
   b. Using the introductory material above in this assignment, provide a statement on why
   NG chose to focus on the subject of race and why at this time.
   c. There is much debate over the use of the phrase, “I am colorblind!” Some say that it
   promotes racial harmony by ignoring racial and ethnic differences; while others think it
   allows those who enjoy racial and ethnic privileges to close their eyes to the experiences
   of others. Provide your reflection on what it means to be colorblind.
   d. In 1982, Alice Walker defined the term “colorism” as the prejudicial or preferential
   treatment of people from the same-race based solely on the lightness or darkness of their
   skin color. Provide your reflection on your life’s observations and/or experiences with
   this concept of colorism, in or out of the US.
   e. Share how race has influenced the development of your life and whom you are today
   through NG’s invitation to provide your perspective in #IDefineMe.
3. Format should be paragraph style (narrative), with appropriate headings (paraphrased; not a
   long repeat of the instructions); 11-font; Times-New Roman; single space with double space
   between headings and the extra space removed. Do not put your name, my name or class
   name on paper. Save as Word doc, not PDF. Expected length is 1.5 to 2 pages long. Upload
   to Moodle in space provided.
4. NOTE: Instructor may post excerpts from your paper to use as a point of discussion for this
   class or future classes. Excerpts will not use any names, class sections, or identifying texts.

Sample Solution