Race as it has been defined has never been used for merely descriptive scientific goals. It has always had a component of social stratification, of segregation and of in-group/out-group determination.
This is not a product of race, but rather a product of the mind observing skin color and making associations which are in error. This is a psychological problem, that we've inherited thru our evolution. Recognizing the psychology problem and the feelings that arise as well as the feelings that are inhibited allows you to be aware of it and mediate between your feelings/lack of feelings with one's feelings of justice, decency, fairness and any such logical or ethical disposition one wishes to have.
Race as it stands today thru our education thru the media, thru our day to day interactions and from the flawed psychological associations our mind makes is a strong inhibitor of out group-empathy, especially towards some who have been the most oppressed and most disenfranchised.
http://sites.tufts.edu/emotionontheb...p-empathy-gap/
The intergroup empathy gap as described in the study is something that can be addressed, regardless of whether or not race is real or how to define it, people perceive skin color and perception of skin color is where a lot of problem arises.
Race as it has been defined has been biased by the false association of negative and positive traits to skin color, and people continue to try and define it in terms of positive and negative in regard to skin color.
The tools exists today to really investigate what creates these psychological phenomena which have been so damaging to so many.
Trying to fight about whether or not race is real is a sideshow to the real injustices that are occurring because of the false and oppressive definitions of race that exist today.
Race is real, of course it is, it's been created at the very least to stratify society and oppress colored people, it's genetic reality is not relevant to the social realities of race in which oppression occurs. Whatever genetic reality race brings, it does not rationalize oppression, it does not rationalize injustice and it does not rationalize second class citizenship.