MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jennifer Steffensen,
703-528-1902 x 3039
jsteffensen@aaanet.org

WHAT: “RACE: Are We So Different?”™ traveling exhibit—a public education program of the American Anthropological Association

WHEN: Saturday, May 17 - September 7, 2008

WHERE: Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket, Conn.

ON THE WEB: understandingRACE.org

This summer, the American Anthropological Association invites you to explore the science, history and lived experience of race and racism in the United States through its powerful, thought-provoking exhibition, “RACE: Are We So Different?” on view at the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center (MPMRC) in Mashantucket, Conn. from Saturday May 17 through September 7.

The RACE exhibit uses historical artifacts, iconic objects, compelling photographs and multimedia presentations to examine how the idea of race was created, how race differs from human variation, and how race and racism shape our daily lives. In doing so, the exhibit shatters many popular misconceptions—from the notion of sickle cell anemia as an African-American disease to the idea that athletic ability is genetically determined and inextricably tied to race.

Anthropological research shows that race is about culture, not biology, yet the construct of race continues to play a real and meaningful role in our institutions and everyday lives. An exhibit section about everyday experiences explores race in schools, neighborhoods, health care systems, sports and entertainment industries. Other special features include six text panels illustrated predominantly with images from the MPMRC’s Popular Culture Collection, “Race Matters in Indian New England.” These have been incorporated into the exhibit during its tenure at MPMRC.

“The RACE exhibit encourages visitors to understand the meaning of race and the impacts of racism in the United States as more than a binary black-and-white color issue, but as a complex set of cultural, social and historical issues that affects each of us in our daily lives. We hope the museum’s location on a tribally-owned-and-operated complex and the additional cultural material from the MPMRC collection will encourage especially rich conversations about race and the American Indian experience,” said Yolanda Moses, Co-Chair of the RACE Project Advisory Group"

The Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center in Mashantucket, Conn. is the fourth stop for the RACE exhibit on its five-and-a-half year tour of 14 US cities. More than one million people have visited the award-winning RACE exhibit and website since its debut in January 2007 at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The popular exhibit is booked until the start of 2012.

"RACE: Are We So Different?" is part of a larger public education program developed over five years with $4.5 million in funding from the Ford Foundation, the National Science Foundation and the AAA. The program includes the 5,000 square foot RACE exhibition, an interactive website, www.understandingRACE.org, and educational materials. RACE has received several national awards including the American Association of Museum’s Award of Excellence in Exhibition in 2008.

For information about the RACE: Are We So Different? program and traveling exhibition, please visit www.understandingRACE.org.

The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the world's largest professional organization of anthropologists and others interested in anthropology, with an average annual membership of more than 10,000. The Arlington, Va.-based association represents all specialties within anthropology — cultural anthropology, biological or physical anthropology, archaeology, linguistics and applied anthropology.