Eugenics was a popular early 20th century social movement in the U.S. that aimed to improve society by preventing the reproduction of those deemed "unfit." It led 32 states to sterilize over 64,000 Americans and targeted poor, immigrants, the mentally ill, and unwed mothers. While originally a scientific concept, eugenics was applied in a pseudoscientific way to justify racism and discrimination. Recent efforts have focused on removing the names of prominent eugenics supporters from institutions and honors to acknowledge its roots in scientific racism.

1. Eugenics in America
Thoughts on Institutional Racism in Science and Media

2. Eugenics- A Global Issue- Social Darwinism
• Charles Darwin originally applied selective traits research to plant and animal studies.
• Herbert Spencer applied Darwin philosophies loosely to social concepts based on "survival of the fittest" ideas about the human
species, work ethic, and economics (broadly reaching).
• Late 1800s, Francis Galton (British Scholar) set off to launch a new science aimed to improve society by getting rid of
"undesirables". He was a philosopher with no science background.
• Eugenics became a popular social movement in the United States that peaked in the 1920s and 1930s. Books and films
promoted eugenics, while local fairs and exhibitions held “fitter family” and “better baby” competitions around the country.
• In the early 1900s, 32 states forced sterilization on over 64,000 Americans.
• The movement in the US focused on eliminating unwanted traits in the country by interfering with the reproductive rights of poor,
immigrants, mentally ill and unwed mothers
SCIENCE
NOT SCIENCE
SCIENTIST NOT A SCIENTIST

3. Why do I care?
• The effects of this on myself and my profession as a whole in a broader sense is really about false information and the spread of fake news and
research. It seems that with our growing population, there are more and more places to gather information, more and more media sources than ever
before and it is growing increasingly difficult to decipher true from false information with the rate in which we exchange it.
• I am studying English with creative writing as my major. I write fiction. Authors have a responsibility to their readers. Non-fiction authors and journalists
have a responsibility to us consumers to provide us with honest, relevant information. My question is, whose job is it to tell us when something is being
broadcast that is false? Whose responsibility is it? There are different government agencies that regulate things- the FCC, the SEC, the EPA, the
FDA, etc. But it is IMPERATIVE that some other authority can put to rest false stories in today's day and age to prevent silly ideas from gaining
traction (such as social darwinism branching off from a real science to a pseudoscience).

4. Society
• Working with a wide spectrum of demographic strengthens myself as a writer in world building creatively. It also helps me
understand different perspectives of my intended audience. Issues like Eugenics, a form of institutional racism and selectivity
worked to actively eliminate those types of interactions, which is a form of totalitarianism. We live in a democratic nation where
every voice matters, every vote matters. These institutional ghosts of our country's past must be brought to light in order to
expose the wrongdoings and make trends towards the correct stances.

5. Conclusion
• A. Benefits of analyzing diversity:
- Become a better thinker, student and conversationalist
- Better convey and articulate positions with strength
- Can lead to positive social change if channeled properly
• B. Value add to personal/professional context by understanding diversity
- Increases the overall cooperation of whoever involved
-Allows to expose any internal bias involved in thought process
-intersectionality enhances experiences and elevates processes
-Reveals power dynamics in the "melting pot"
The process of exposing the perpetrators digs at the roots of their
footholds in American culture, disarming the power of their history,
such as the case in the prominent institutions removing the names
of those who promoted Eugenics

6. Citations
• ABC News. (2020, November 17). Clinics drop Marie stopes name over eugenics support. Retrieved from https://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/clinics-drop-
marie-stopes-eugenics-support-74251892
• Associated Press. (n.d.). Science Center to Remove Name of Eugenics Supporter Founder. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com/news/best-
states/maine/articles/2020-07-26/science-center-to-remove-name-of-eugenics-supporter-founder
• Caltech to remove the names of Robert A. Millikan and five other eugenics proponents from buildings, honors, and assets. (n.d.). Retrieved from
https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/caltech-to-remove-the-names-of-robert-a-millikan-and-five-other-eugenics-proponents
• Unwanted sterilization and eugenics programs in the United States. (2016, January 29). Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/unwanted-
sterilization-and-eugenics-programs-in-the-united-states/
• USC removes name of Rufus von KleinSmid, a eugenics leader, from prominent building. (2020, June 11). Retrieved from
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-06-11/usc-removes-name-of-former-president-rufus-von-kleinsmid-a-supporter-of-eugenics-from-prominent-
building
• BUTLER, J. E. (2017). Intersectionality and Liberal Education. Liberal Education, 103(3/4), 38–45.
• Gordon, A. (2020, July 23). New York's planned parenthood will remove founder's name over her views on eugenics. Retrieved from
https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/22/us/margaret-sanger-planned-parenthood-trnd/index.html