The National Museum of African American History and Culture has published a new web portal explaining virtues like “rugged individualism,” “hard work” and “rational thinking” are “aspects and assumptions” of “whiteness” and “white culture.”
The portal implies that these qualities are inherently different from African-American culture. The new portal “Talking About Race” provides research, studies and other academic materials to the public.
The goal of the portal, the NMAAHC says, is to contribute to a discussion on race, a “vitally important subject that millions of Americans are grappling with.”
The Museum also issued an infographic that illustrates the tenets of what they call “white culture.”
The National Museum of African American History & Culture wants to make you aware of certain signs of whiteness: Individualism, hard work, objectivity, the nuclear family, progress, respect for authority, delayed gratification, more. (via @RpwWilliams)https://t.co/k9X3u4Suas pic.twitter.com/gWYOeEh4vu
— Byron York (@ByronYork) July 15, 2020
The nuclear family, delayed gratification and progress are all listed as traits unique to the white race.
The portal warns of white privilege. “For many white people, this can be hard to hear, understand, or accept – but it is true,” the Museum says. “If you are white in America, you have benefited from the color of your skin.”
And also warns of White Supremacy.
“The belief of white superiority has been part of the United States since its inception. The white European imperialists who settled here believed they were inherently superior to nonwhite groups. These beliefs justified atrocities like the genocide of Native Americans and nearly 250 years of African slavery.”
How a “hard work” ethic, which is extolled by other cultures, such as Asian culture, fits in to the dichotomy of “whiteness,” is not explained by the Museum.
You can read more on the NMAAHC’s philosophy on whiteness and white culture here.
Photo by The NMAAHC