In this episode of The Forum Podcast, Dr. Jacqueline Battalora, Ph.D., J.D, offers a foundation of understanding around the nuanced account of the invention of the human category "white" in law.

The session begins with an accessible and nuanced account of the invention of the human category "white" in law. People with low levels of melanin in the skin pre-existed the invention but they did not conceived of themselves as white nor is there a single reference in law to them as whites.

This session offers a foundation of understanding that will bring us together through shared knowledge rooted in law and history. The foundation provides a solid base of understanding from which so much that plagues advances in workplace D&I can be seen and then challenged - allowing us to dismantle the walls that divide us or construct a bridge over them.

Learning Outcomes

• Learn a piece of U.S. history central to a human division that is a barrier to D&I in the workplace
• Understand both conceptually and with concrete historical evidence that race is a social construct
• Draw links between the legal-historical foundation and practices within the work

Presenters: Dr. Jacqueline Battalora, Ph.D., J.D