Race

There is much more genetic variation within African populations that between Africans and whites

Race is a social construct which influences how people are treated and viewed by society based on their skin color, appearance, and other traits. Although the term is used as a generic word to describe perceived differences between members of society from varying ethnic backgrounds, it is a scientifically inaccurate category related to phenotypical differences which have minimal influence on human behavior. Discrimination of people based on racial differences is called racism.

The concept of race has been used since the 16th century to justify the invasion and colonization of lands, the genocide and slavery of peoples and the brutality associated with capitalism, liberalism and primitive accumulation of capital. Karl Marx wrote that this racial divide was a major obstacle for the workers' movement.

History

The concept of race first began in Spain with the expulsion of Jews and Muslims from the Iberian Peninsula and allowed the Spanish monarchy to continue oppressing them even after some converted to Christianity. In the early 17th century, the English defined the Irish as racially inferior while colonizing northern Ireland.

During the colonization of America, whiteness emerged as a form of class collaboration against indigenous peoples. The first use of "white" in an official document was in Virginia in 1691. A labor movement of slaves and indentured servants emerged in the 17th century, but the labor movement largely excluded non-white workers, enslaved or not, by the 1830s. Many white workers and peasants such as John Brown and Newton Knight soon turned against their ruling class.

Around the time of the Civil War in the United States, most trade unions in the USA accepted Italians and Irish workers but rejected Chinese immigrants. The IWW became the first union to include workers regardless of race.