A captivating game teaching new ways to think about race and diversity. Featured in the Boston Museum of Science. Great reviews on CNN, Slate.com and Wired.com. Finalist in 2011 "Games for Change" award!
Developed by Dr. Michael Baran, cultural anthropologist at Harvard University, this game will challenge your assumptions about individual people and about race in general.
“What race are you?”
We asked people all over Boston and Los Angeles this very question. The answers that appear in this game are their direct responses.
The object of this game is to examine photographs of ordinary people and to guess their race. After guessing from multiple choices, you then see the right answer along with a direct quote, opening a small window into their experiences of this powerful category of identity. After reading the quote, swipe to the next screen to read a fact or provocative question related to the person. The photograph, quote and fact all work together, enticing you to think more deeply about categories of race, ethnicity, religion, nation, and culture.
•Features over 150 stunning photographs of real people from varied backgrounds.
•Great conversation starter.
•Play with family and friends – learn together.
•References current events and popular media.
•Future versions will include the ability to submit your own photograph and quotes!
Acknowledging the complexity of race as a cultural and historical construction is difficult. Despite the challenge, it is critical that we all learn to talk more openly, honestly, and empathetically about these issues. Because when we learn the facts and engage with people about the realities of their lives, we are compelled to actively contest the current state of affairs where inaction, rather than overt racism, perpetuates the inequalities and injustices that linger from the past.
**Check out these great reviews:
Slate.com titled: Apps, Afros and Handcuffs: Talking With Kids About Race
Wired.com titled: Race Awareness? Theres an app for that
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The Guess My Race app is part of the Race Awareness Project, bringing together art, technology, and education to get people talking about race in an entirely new way. Our goal is to make widespread some of the fascinating anthropological, historical, psychological and sociological insights about race – how race developed, how race is historically changing, and how race affects our everyday lives as it intersects with other categories of identity such as ethnicity, nationality, religion, and gender. By teaching about race in an innovative and engaging way, we are working towards promoting respect, understanding and empathy for all people.