Explore More Information: This is Dr. Damaris Lois Yamoah Lang, the founding president of P-CoC Inc. I'm excited to have you visit our page today. As a biologist whose doctoral work focused on the neurobiology of behavior, I would like to share a little insight into the biology behind our social expressions, how they impact equity, and the inputs reinforcing societal inequities. I will also emphasize the universal truth that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Social behaviors—such as racism, colorism, and ethnic othering—are rooted in the brain’s perceptions. I emphasize that addressing racial, color, and ethnic inequities in society requires disrupting the negative external influences that shape these perceptions. These influences activate the brain’s innate survival mechanisms. From our neonatal years, the brain naturally prioritizes recognizing familiar facial features and skin tone in the fusiform area for a sense of security. In contrast, unfamiliar features trigger the amygdala, causing discomfort and heightened alertness to protect against potential harm. The issue intensifies when these natural responses become linked to consciously constructed stereotypes, which, over time, evolve into unconscious bias, reinforcing racial, color, and ethnic stereotypes. This creates a feedback loop where instinctual reactions merge with learned behaviors, ultimately manifesting as unconscious social behaviors that shape our interactions and outputs. Prolonged exposure to discrimination and stress can lead to changes in brain structure, affecting behavior and perpetuating cycles of inequality. For marginalized communities, these effects can result in internalized racism, while individuals with racial privilege may develop implicit biases that influence their decisions and actions The Human Rights Articles highlight that everyone is entitled to rights and freedoms without discrimination based on race, color, ethnicity, and other statuses. Despite this universal declaration, societal hierarchies persist, rooted in our historical classifications of race that placed white individuals as superior and black individuals as inferior, driving slavery. This hierarchy of ingrained notions of dominance and power associated with race, impacting our modern history, continues “epi-sociogenetically” today. The construction of race was inherently a racist construct; to create race was to create racism. We must recognize that race and racism were constructed together and have always been intertwined. This made whiteness desirable and superior, while blackness was deemed undesirable and inferior. Although legislation and policies have abolished the systemic structures that once upheld such hierarchies, social remnants remain, accentuating the epigenetic effect of neurological behavior defaults caused by racism. The epigenetic effect refers to changes in gene expression influenced by environmental factors and experiences without altering the DNA sequence itself. Prolonged exposure to discrimination, stress, and social inequalities can trigger epigenetic modifications, leading to brain structure and function changes that affect behavior, emotional regulation, and cognitive processes. This means that the trauma and stress associated with systemic racism can become biologically embedded, influencing how individuals respond to their environment and interact with others. Neurological behavior defaults refer to the automatic, often unconscious patterns of thinking and behavior resulting from these epigenetic changes. This impacts our actions and shapes outcomes, perpetuating a cycle of racist acts even among those eager to fight racism. For black individuals, this manifests as internalized racism, a deeply ingrained sense of inferiority and self-doubt. Marginalized communities may develop heightened stress responses, hypervigilance, or internalized negative beliefs about their own worth and abilities. These neurological defaults perpetuate cycles of disadvantage and discrimination, affecting interactions, decision-making, and overall life outcomes. For white individuals, this manifests as implicit biases—unconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect understanding, actions, and decisions. They might unintentionally favor white colleagues over colleagues of color in professional settings or feel uncomfortable in racially diverse environments. These biases can lead to microaggressions, which are subtle, often unintentional, discriminatory comments or behaviors. Non-persons of color allies need to engage in continuous self-reflection and education, regularly examining their own biases and seeking out resources to educate themselves about systemic racism and its impacts. They should prioritize the voices and experiences of people of color, listening actively and being open to feedback, even when uncomfortable. Supporting anti-racist initiatives led by people of color and collaborating as equals rather than leaders is crucial. Non-persons of color allies must practice humility, recognizing that being an ally is an ongoing process and that mistakes will be made. Accepting and learning from these mistakes is essential. We should actively work to change institutional and systemic structures that perpetuate racism, even when it requires challenging our own comfort and privilege. Even among those eager to fight racism, particularly non-persons of color allies, a vicious cycle of perpetuating racist acts can occur due to current systemic factors. In efforts to help, allies may adopt a paternalistic attitude, assuming they know what’s best for people of color without truly understanding their experiences or needs. Societal norms and media portrayals have conditioned everyone to view whiteness as the standard, influencing behaviors and decisions unconsciously. Understanding this helps us see why current diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts may sometimes inadvertently reinforce the disparities they aim to eliminate. Additionally, some social remnants in our society today that perpetuate racism through neurological behavioral defaults include the continued use of racialized ethnicities in our demographic identity classifications. For instance, we often depict the color “Black” as representing evil and “White” as representing good in our everyday analogies and illustrative descriptions. Since these terms (“Black” and “White”) are also used as human identity markers, this continual reinforcement deepens subconscious biases, making them more likely to persist as mental defaults. Research in neuroscience and psychology shows that repeated exposure to such associations can strengthen implicit biases through neural pathways related to associative learning. The brain’s amygdala and hippocampus play a significant role in processing emotional responses and memory formation, reinforcing subconscious biases over time. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex, responsible for higher-order thinking and decision-making, may struggle to override these deeply ingrained associations, making them more likely to influence perceptions and behaviors. This continuous reinforcement perpetuates colorism and racist ideologies at both an individual and societal level. My interest lies in the reclassification of our demographics, specifically our ethnic demographics. We need to move away from racialized classifications and embrace a more accurate depiction of our identities, reflecting our true ethnic backgrounds without racial overtones that perpetuate inequality. The current framework for classifying and determining our ethnic demographic identity is rooted in historical race-centered ideologies. These ideologies continue to shape contemporary practices, exerting an "epi-sociogenetic" effect that influences our societal structure. The essence of diversity should be celebrated as the unique differences that make us whole, much like puzzle pieces fitting together to form a complete picture. Our differences should unite us, not divide us. Embracing the true, unracialized diversity of our ethnic backgrounds can help create a more equitable society. Let's engage in this journey toward equitable coexistence, acknowledging our differences, promoting empathy, and striving for equity. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to our continued engagement.