Letter from Jacobson to Morrison

Dear Ms. Morrison,

The issue of race, as you well know, defines the history of America. I have read your article and the point you make about race talk as “pressing African Americans to the lowest level of the racial hierarchy” is really interesting, especially when applied to the historic treatment of American blacks. However, I don’t think that it is simple. Although African Americans have more or less been situated at the bottom of the racial hierarchy, many other racial groups have faced racial discrimination during their respective immigration periods. It all goes back to the problem of race, in my opinion, and how the definition has changed and become more ambiguous since its first inception. Racial categorization has become more general and broad, as where terms like ‘Slavs,’ ‘Celts,’ and ‘Irish’ have come under the umbrella of ‘Caucasian.’

But my main objective in writing to you is to inquire whether you have seen the front cover of the Time Magazine issue in which your article appears. It is a picture of what looks to be a mixed-race woman, and the caption reads, “Take a good look at this woman. She was created by a computer from a mix of several races. What you see is a remarkable preview of… THE NEW FACE OF AMERICA: How Immigrants are Shaping the World’s First Multi-Cultural Society.” I thought it was ironic, based on your article and my research, that the final product of mixing several races produced a woman that looks half African American. Her skin is relatively tan; the texture of her hair seems thick and coarse, and her eyes are brown. Given our white-majority society, what do you make of this? I also wondered at the use of the term ‘race.’ Does the term denote race in the general term of Caucasian, black, etc. or as Spanish, German, Chinese, etc?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Sincerely,
Matthew Jacobson

Question 1: How do print media, visual media, literature, academic journals, etc represent American interests and values regarding race and how does it clash with actual notions of race? Why is there such a conflict? How does that shape race relations and our understanding of (the importance of) race in America?

Question 2: Given the concept of racial fusion under one broad term such as ‘Caucasian,’ American’s current disregard for the old, more distinctive definition of race, and the commonality of racial mixing, is it possible to go back to the old definition of race that is not based on color? Is it possible for people to (re)adopt the view of “I’m an Irish marrying a German” or “He’s a Filipino marrying a Japanese girl,” rather than simply “a white man marrying a white woman”? It also should be noted that many individuals in the 19th and early 20th centuries during the flux of immigration were aware of the different facial features that distinguishes one ethnic group from another. Is it possible to somehow reacquaint ourselves with such awareness to aid in redefining ‘race’?