Let's Talk About Skin Color

Penn State University

Mercyhurst University's Anthropology department welcomes renowned, internationally-recognized biological anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski as she gives a public talk about combating racism through education.

TUESDAY, APR. 16

Mercyhurst University's 2025-2026 academic theme supports the Sisters of Mercy's critical concerns for nonviolence and anti-racism. In an effort to combat the increasingly divisive nature of our society and unlearn prejudices, the university will be hosting internationally-recognized biological anthropologist Dr. Nina Jablonski at Walker Recital Hall for a lecture titled "Let's Talk About Skin Color…And Other Visible Human Traits."

Ahead of her upcoming visit, I spoke with Dr. Jablonski about her alignment with the Sisters' mission, her research and findings, and more.

Cassandra Gripp (CG): If your audience could come away from this discussion only having learned one thing, what would you want them to take away?

Dr. Nina Jablonski (NJ): The single takeaway from my lecture has two levels. The first is that skin color, like many other visible physical traits of people, can be understood thoroughly by studying the facts of evolution. The more we know about the evolutionary process, through the study of fossil remains, genetics, and knowledge of ancient and present-day environments, the more fascinating and complex these traits become. The second is that many of the systems devised by people in the last 300 years for classifying one another – into races, classes, castes, and similar kinds of groupings – were created by people on the basis of their own prejudices. These were often articulated in lofty philosophical terms, but they ultimately can be traced to emotionally based biases.

CG: What makes diversity so important? What are the positive effects it makes on society as a whole?

NJ: Diversity is important because when we study it closely and deeply we find that people are remarkably similar, in their biology, behavior, and cultures. The differences between people we can observe – in appearance, diets, and belief systems – were carefully catalogued by people over time and elevated into major differences when, in fact, they are minor. Value judgments placed on differences have worked to emphasize the importance of minor distinctions, often creating destructive tensions between groups. When we recognize the fact that human beings pay attention to minor details in visual appearance and behavior and place values on these details, we can understand the true nature of diversity. If aliens were to land on our planet, they would look around and be mystified by the minor differences we have taken such pains to notice, label, elevate to importance, and use as a basis for prejudicial action.

CG: How has the perception of race changed throughout the course of history? In what ways have these perceptions further impacted other issues of classism, sexism, and inequality?

NJ: The perception of race has changed remarkably during history, and from place to place. Race is one of the most slippery and sinister of human classificatory systems because the parameters of what defines a human race have never been defined. "Definitions" of races vary from place to place and from time to time because they have always been contingent entities, which depend largely on the group of people in power at any particular place and time. Classificatory systems for human beings started out as being relatively innocuous and non-hierarchical in the mid-18th century, but by the late 18th and early 19th centuries – in Europe and the colonized world – people had been placed in different, hierarchically ranked races, primarily according to skin color, but also by a number of other physical, behavioral, and cultural criteria. The criteria used were entirely arbitrary and depended on who was doing the classifying, when they were doing it, and why. These systems have had dramatic impacts on the nature and magnitude of human inequality (as the result of various manifestations of racism), and have tended to co-occur with rigidly enforced systems of class and caste structure and sex roles. Human beings are capable of making the small differences between individuals and groups into big, functional distinctions that can be used as cleavage planes to divide people and create enmity.

CG: How does your message align with the Sisters of Mercy's concerns for anti-racism and nonviolence?

NJ: I seek to combat racism and violence by understanding the scientific and historical facts behind the emergence of these phenomena. When we do this, we find that the root causes of prejudice and discord – for instance, that people look or dress differently or that they worship differently – are often traceable to petty jealousies or, more commonly, raw, irrational, and emotionally based prejudice based on ignorance. Many of the so-called facts summoned in support of racialization and racism turn out to be convenient falsehoods that were developed and perpetuated for economic or political advantage.

CG: Due to our current political climate's divisive nature, what are some ways our community could practice being more open-minded and inclusive?

NJ: Each one of us is endowed with human intelligence that, by virtue of its biological nature, is open to learning, free of innate bias, and inclusive. We can build a more open-minded and inclusive society by valuing and prioritizing these qualities in early childhood education. Children are naturally inquisitive and love facts. They need lots of good facts — based on good science and clear, dispassionate readings of human history — in order to become good citizens of this country and the world. They also need to learn the tools to recognize when "facts" are being created or modified so as to turn people against one another. Race classifications are good examples of calculated deceptions that have been maintained and reinscribed at various times in history, to the great detriment of all of humanity and the future of our planet.

"This lecture is about waking up to the wonder of humanity, as viewed from the perspective of evolution." Jablonski said. Through this lens, she expresses how our skin is vital to our identity and our origins, and how stereotypes have shifted scientific facts.

In the interest of creating a wider audience, the event will be free and open to the public.

Tuesday, Apr. 16 at 7:30 p.m. // Walker Recital Hall, 501 E. 38th St. // Free // For more info: Facebook Event