Social Constructs of Race

The article "White By Law" immediately reminded me of Ralph Ellison's ideas on the social confines of race. Lopez shows through documented court cases in American history that race is defined by society; not science, not ethnic origins, but society. Ellison wrote of how true personal identity is impossible because society will always identify you based on race. The two concepts are interrelated. History shows that people were denied citizenship, not because they were not ideologically American, but because of race. Ellison's famous novel Invisible Man tells of a man who feels no one can "see" who he is because people immediately judge him on race. The court cases are from the 19th century to mid 20th century. Invisible Man is mid 20th century. It makes me think about how today in the 21st century, society can still control who we are based on how we look. Will this stigma ever be truly gone? Probably not.