Is Intelligence Genetic?

           I was at work and my boss (white) said something that shocked me. She thinks intelligence is genetic. Now at first this statement did not bother me. However, once I thought about it I related the statement to the past slave owners and supporters of Jim Crow laws back in the United States history. When there was a nation of slaves that were forbidden to read or write whites thought we were unintelligent. However, it was our environment that caused blacks to appear unintelligent. However, a lot of inventions that blacks did not get credit for were out of intelligence of black people. Fast forward to today, a large percentage of our black children are reading below their grade level. Why? It is not because of a lack of intelligence gene. It is because of the education system not conducive to how a lot of black children learn. Everyone has a form of intelligence that is a skill that each individual has developed. We could be intelligent in medicine, mechanics, farming, teaching, engineering, etc. What is a person mostly interested in and passionate about? That could be their intelligence once developed (Runston & Jensen, 2005).          

Runston, J & Jensen. A. (2005).Thirty Years of Research on Race Differences and Cognitive Ability. Retrieved from https://www1.udel.edu/.../30years/Rushton-Jensen30years.pdf