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Origin of Everything
The Origin of Race in the USA
Season 1
Episode 26
Do you believe that your race correlates to your skin tone? Because that wasn’t always the case. So how did Americans come to believe that race equals certain visible physical characteristics such as skin color and hair? And why is it that certain ethnic groups that were once considered “non-white” became reclassified as “white”? Watch the episode to find out.
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![Did Europeans Enslave Native Americans?](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9daddc6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FZ8nDaRp-asset-mezzanine-16x9-XVsEFWk.jpg)
12:41
The complicated history surrounding the European enslavement of Indigenous peoples.
![The History of Reparations](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e73b449/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FkTCNvjp-asset-mezzanine-16x9-wbCRe7S.jpg)
14:12
One of the most controversial topics moving through American politics for over 150 years.
![Evolution of Law Enforcement](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d3a6036/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FOUnR86A-asset-mezzanine-16x9-CqPda5N.jpg)
13:39
Some argue for reforms, others for defunding, and others still for the complete abolition.
![Health Disparities in the Black Community: Past & Present](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e9b523f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FL2vZhD2-asset-mezzanine-16x9-3l9dQHy.jpg)
11:57
The United States healthcare system is letting down many Black Americans.
![Why Do We Have Political Parties?](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/09d9f9a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FUFkonna-asset-mezzanine-16x9-D1ywvr3.jpg)
11:11
John Adams warned us. George Washington begged us not to.
![HIV/AIDS: What Can We Learn From America's Last Epidemic?](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6f09f1e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FZMk8bJt-asset-mezzanine-16x9-AsZ7FnJ.jpg)
11:52
America's last major epidemic was the HIV/AIDS crisis of 1980s and 1990s.
![Why Do We Say "African American"?](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4306d86/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2F1mzus2j-asset-mezzanine-16x9-N0XFMkj.jpg)
8:26
We look at the etymology and reclamation surrounding Black history and identity.
![History of Socialism in America](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2bb6cf8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FUpfpvnX-asset-mezzanine-16x9-UiYZFFD.jpg)
9:20
"Socialism" is one of THE most divisive words in America and it has been for a long time.
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10:53
Danielle analyzes the homophobic history of US law.
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8:37
Trace the history of the handshake from Babylonia and the early Greeks to the present.
![The Racist Origins of U.S. Law](https://kcet.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/03d5240/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1920x1080+0+0/resize/768x432!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.pbs.org%2Fvideo-assets%2FBb0AR9R-asset-mezzanine-16x9-81Ya08L.jpg)
12:58
Danielle analyzes the discriminatory history of US law.