'Intelligence Tests and Race'

Recently, I was watching a television program in which a highly acclaimed and educated, black male reporter, was investigating the debate, on whether or not levels of human intelligence can be determined by our racial groupings. To put the debate question bluntly ' Is a person's intelligence dictated by their race? Secondly, are certain racial groups innately more intelligent than others?

This black reporter, had interviewed a number of renowned academics in the fields of Psychology, Anthropology, and Science, purported leading thinkers in our modern society. He also interviewed a number of prominent teachers, and academics who claimed to have, vast experience in working with different ethnic minority groups.
 My initial response to this television program was one of irritation, annoyance, and deep feelings of disdain. I was shocked by the fact that this kind of issue was still being tabled for debate in such officially high academic circles.
I feel indignation, at the prospect of money, time, and valuable resources, being 'wasted' in my view, on such matters, when there are so many more pressing and relevant issues that require our time and energy.

It was interesting to me, from watching the TV program, that  many of the academics needing and wanting to prove this particular point were themselves white people; and of course the two main issues they were so eager to 'prove', were that firstly, black people, and people of African heritage were generally the least intelligent of all the races. Secondly, black people were the least likely to succeed, in our current academic system, and therefore the least likely of all the races, to achieve overall success in society at large.

There are clearly problems with this kind of research, which I wish to address.

First of all, how do we define intelligence, and how do we define success and achievement?
Naturally these things depend on what values we hold in society.
Our current world view aspires to predominantly white middle class values, which are upheld and often enforced, as the 'standard' by which intelligence, success and academic achievement are processed, measured and quantified; therefore all such studies are inherently biased in that direction.
Added to this, is the fact that most of the research we actually come to read about, and hear about, and to which we are exposed concerning this debate, is conducted by Caucasians, in predominantly Caucasian middle class establishments, and then published and publicised by predominantly Caucasian organisations. This isn't to say that there has not been other kinds of research conducted by alternative groups of people; but that we are much less likely to hear about those, because they are less likely to receive public attention or critical acclaim.
The other point I wanted to take up, is related to the findings of some such academics, who concluded that in general, black people (including Australian Aborigines), and people of African heritage, were the least likely of all the races, to achieve and be successful in society at large. Now, why does that not surprise me?!
While I am in agreement with this conclusion as an effect, I strongly disagree with the findings and their purported cause, for this effect - to be the lower intelligence quotient of the black race in general by comparison to others.
I agree that yes, black people as a racial group are less likely to achieve and succeed in a predominantly white middle class academic and social system, set up as the 'standard' for every race. But I hugely disagree that the cause of this, is anything at all to do with a lower level of intelligence in black people, and much more to do with institutionalized and academic racism.
In short, what we are looking at here, is an academically racist question, being conducted in a racially biased institutional setting, by racially biased academics, producing racially biased results and conclusions.
If we were not already, in a racist system to start with, we would not even be contemplating the question.

 Finally, an obvious problem with this kind of research is, how we define race?
Do we define race by skin tone, by geographical location or place of birth, by body organs, by genes and cellular structure, by levels of melanin in skin pigmentation, by religious belief, or by language? Further to this, can we honestly claim that the only thing that factor's into accessing an individual's intelligence, (or indeed ability), boils down to race?
What about the other factors like culture, environment, economics, personality traits and upbringing, what about spiritual values, beliefs and practices? Are none of these factors relevant? Do they not have any bearing at all on intelligence? Is intelligence then something isolated, in a vacuum, and completely disconnected and separate, to everything else other than race? I think not.

The finer, one looks into these questions, the more apparent, the ridiculous nature of this kind of debate. Apart from the fact that, none of these purported conclusions, by such academics, can be proven to be true; the deeper and far more important and may I say intelligent question, for me as a person of colour, and as a human-being, to be asking, is why at all one feels the need to be pursuing this kind of debate in the first place?

Whom or what does it serve?

 By Rev.Bola A. (copyright: 2 Feb.2010 - ARR)

*Abundant Life Ministries
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