Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 09:08:39 -0600

From: "Emerson, Jessie J" jjemerso[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]INGR.COM

Subject: "race" (was PC Dictionaries?the N word? racism? race?)



I believe the word race used in this context derives from Middle French

or Italian and means something like "generation" (please correct me on

this). And if I can remember anything from my anthropology courses, I

think that in the early or mid 19th century (before anthropology became

a science) that this term was used in conjunction with the division of

the world's population into Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid. Of

course, the Caucasians made up the divisions, so they got to be number

one.



Jessie





From Ditra Henry



The origin of all the derogatories that we all are so familiar with of

course then stems back to the word race itself. Was this word just

a convenient development to set up slavery in this country? or did it

have

other meanings before this? I doubt it. However just the emotions

that

have been aroused from this discussion is proof that racism is not a

thing

fo the past and that it is still thriving as a meaningful and integral

part of this country.