Understanding Race and Ethnicity

Definition of Race

Race: Often defined by observable physical characteristics like skin color, hair, and facial structure.
- Cultural Influence: The importance of these traits varies by culture.
- Skin Color Example: A White person's tan does not change their race, showing that race is not solely about skin color.

Race as a Social Construct: Race is used to categorize based on perceived important biological traits, but varies by society.
- Comparison with Gender: Both are socially constructed.

'One-drop' Rule: In the U.S., any African American ancestry often classifies a person as Black.
- Historical Variation: Who is considered White or ethnic has changed over time.

Ethnicity: Refers to cultural traits like language, traditions, and religion.
- Shared Cultural Heritage: Two people of different races can share the same ethnicity.
- Example: 'Hispanic' refers to ethnicity, not race.

Hispanic: Refers to a Spanish-speaking heritage.
Latino/Latinx: Refers to origins in Latin America.
- Differences: Brazilians are Latino but not Hispanic, whereas Spaniards are Hispanic but not Latino.

Minority: Defined by physical or cultural differences and lower societal status, not by size of the group.
- Examples: Women as a minority, South African apartheid.
Minority-Majority: Non-Hispanic Whites are a majority group but this is changing.

White: Includes European, Middle Eastern, and Northern African origins.
Black or African American: Includes African and Afro-Caribbean heritage.
American Indian or Alaska Native: Indigenous origins within the U.S. and Alaska.
Asian: Includes Eastern Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Indian subcontinent.
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander: Includes Hawaii, Guam, Samoa.
Some Other Race: A catch-all for other origins.
- Note: Hispanic considered an ethnicity, not a race.