Acting White: Genes and A Boy Named Darryl

When I was a child, the family two doors away had three kids, two boys and a girl. One of the boys, Darryl, had sickle-cell anemia and died painfully before we completed middle school. The other two kids had challenges from carrying the trait, but nothing matching their departed sibling. The tragic results for this family naturally followed the coupling of two people who, unknowingly, carried the genetic trait for the disease.

Three points worthy of note. The advancement of scientific study in genetics is directly responsible for us now understanding what exactly happened to Darryl and why. The screening and counseling of black couples beyond the shores of Africa, contemplating children, reflects both science and philosophy that seeks to protect families from the physical and emotional suffering that my childhood neighbors endured. Lastly, the Eugenics movement of the 1900's that pursued the philosophy of a master-race was a crude and vicious response to scientific discovery, apart from the science itself, and should not be confused with the benefits of scientific advancement.

Sterilizing people by force was bad. Forcing other to have children, against their will, was equally bad. Counseling people on the likely outcomes of their offspring is very good. These behaviors eminate from scientific discovery following knowledge. Eugenics of old is dead, and should stay that way. However, the physical and emotional needs of humanity demand that we pursue our understanding of DNA, genetics and heredity. The yellow crime tape surrounding the discussion of the role of genes in our lives needs to come down.

James C. Collier

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