Paradoxes of Difference

1263 C an " race " be gleaned from our genes? Concern over the emerging trajectories of genetics research has led to ongoing debates about how to characterize and interpret genetic variation. Despite the mantra that humans share 99.9% of our genetic makeup, there is increasing interest in identifying the relatively small percentage difference that distinguishes individuals. Therein lies the paradox: if we are all the same, why do we continue to search for the ways in which we differ from one another? We can take an essential fi rst step toward addressing this paradox by acknowledging the often confl icting stakes for individuals and groups in debates that center around genes, science, and race. Whose genes will be studied? For what purpose? And who has the authority to decide? These stakes are laid bare by Cassandra Medley in her play " Relativity, " which ran at the Magic Theater in San Francisco this spring, in a production directed by Edris Cooper-Anifowoshe. The play focuses on the inner confl ict of a young scientist, an African American woman who tries unsuccessfully to straddle the opposing world views of her profession and her family. In " Relativity, " Kalima Davis is a postdoctoral fellow in a prestigious stem cell laboratory on the East Coast. Her impeccable academic pedigree distinguishes Kalima as a rising researcher, and she is one of the few women and African American scientists working in the fi eld. Kalima is also the devoted daughter of the charismatic psychotherapist Claire Reid, who directs the " Leon Davis Foundation, " which Kalima's late father dedicated to the belief that neuropeptide melanin, found in " people of color, " enhances intelligence, athleticism, and emotional sensitivity. This theory also points to the lack of melanin among lighter skinned individuals as a cause of " white racism. " Kalima, who has inherited co-directorship of her father's foundation, is asked by her mother to offer " scientifi c proof " of the melanin theories and to discount the assertion that all groups are genetically similar. At issue in " Relativity " is the struggle over what constitutes a valid belief. Reid suggests to Kalima that " science is not the sole province of what the 'West' defi nes it to be, " and refers to Chinese acupuncture, Hindu Chakra, and tribal African shamanism as examples of legitimate " sciences. " But the power of …