Lecture Notes on History, Eugenics, and Decolonization

Introduction

Speaker reminisces about receiving a history encyclopedia as a child.
Noticed missing elements in the narratives, especially about voices and groups that were excluded.

Samuel Goldwyn: A gun maker from Birmingham's gun quarter.
- Sold faulty guns for enslaved black women, highlighting the dehumanization and valuation of black women’s bodies.
Dr. James Marion Sims: Credited with founding modern gynecology.
- Performed experiments on three enslaved black women (Anaka, Lucy, Betsy) without anesthesia.
- Believed black women could endure more pain, a notion influencing medical biases today.
- Emory study: Black patients 66% more likely to receive no pain treatment compared to white counterparts.

Francis Galton: Originated the idea of eugenics.
- Defined as controlled breeding to enhance desirable hereditary traits.
- Influenced practices like Nazi sterilizations and broader scientific racism.
Eugenics ideas persist:
- In beauty standards favoring whiteness.
- School regulations against natural black hairstyles.

Colonialism's Legacy: Enforced Eurocentric values globally.
- Undermined native cultures, knowledges, and ways of being.
Decoloniality:
- Advocates for diverse perspectives and humanizing all peoples.
- Challenges absolute truths and encourages reimagining society.

Encourage questioning existing societal norms and inequalities.
Highlight the role of imagination in creating a more inclusive world.
Research terms like decoloniality, colonization, and eugenics for further understanding.

Quotation by James Baldwin: "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced."
Emphasizes the importance of confronting uncomfortable truths for meaningful change.