Essay about Race and Ethnicity

There was a time when America was segregated; Caucasians and African Americans were forced to attend different restrooms, restaurants, and water fountains. However, the era of segregation has been terminated; now America embraces and appreciates the various cultures and ethnicities that create this melting pot several people call home. Likewise, it is this melting pot, or mosaic, of races that multitudes of individuals have identified themselves with. Thus, race and ethnicity does matter for it portrays vital and crucial roles in the contemporary American society. Furthermore, ethnicity and race brings communities together in unity, determines which traditions and ideals individuals may choose to value, and imposes an impediment for it categorizes humans unjustly.

When I entered the Dynamic of Racism and Oppression class I was the individual who had blinders on. I did not have a full understanding of what racism was, which in itself is shocking to me as I thought I had. What made me really stop and think was this class opened my eyes to the fact that I did not know my own identity. I have heard individual say “I’m black”, “I am of African decent”, “I’m Latino”, “I’m Canadian”, and “I’m white”. These are common statements of how individuals view their race and identity. I have even placed my identity in one of those categories, I’m white. I was unaware and unsure of what it meant to have a culture, which many individuals claim everyday. Some individuals know their identity, others do not, I was one

Beverly Daniel Tatum PH.D. is an expert on race relations and the development of racial identity. Tatum guides her readers through racial identity and major ideas and concepts regarding race. Throughout the book readers will better understand the racial dynamic of their everyday lives, along with suggestive actions toward a more equitable world for all. The following paragraph gives a summary of the book, breaking it down into the IV parts containing ten chapters.

Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its

Recently I have been evaluating what I think to be my own racial and cultural identity. As a Caucasian of mostly German decent who grew up in the upper Midwest, I blended in with the majority of people around me. Due to this fact, I did not often think about race, and when I did it was thinking about how others were different than me and the rest of ‘us’. I was a product of my culture and the society surrounding me; I regret this thinking now, and do deeply apologize.

The school I went to was tiny. In grade school, our class had around twenty-five kids and over the years dwindled to a graduating class of nine. It had to be the least diverse institution I’ve ever been to. I had several Hispanic and Latino classmates, but at least ninety percent of the class was white. There was not a single teacher who wasn’t Caucasian. Maybe I didn’t miss out on any aspect of my education because I have no other perspective to view this from, but it’s my assumption that my worldview is lacking the diversity f So, simply put I have had very few encounters with race-related issues or any ingression of racism in my life. This small and inaccurate representation of society I experienced failed to bring out curiosity in other people’s situations, and how the effects of racial conflict could affect the relationships of people who would otherwise have no reason to have any hostility towards one another

Many are unaware of the effects that race has played in their lives over the years. Some may not understand its implications, but are very oblivious to it. Race can influence such things like attitude and behavior. Nowadays being white or black means something more than just a Crayola color. No longer are they just colors, they are races with their own rules and regulations. People of color have been inferior to the white race for centuries. In their own way Zora Neale Hurston shows this concept in her story “How it feels to be Colored Me” as does Richard Wright in his autobiographical sketch “The Ethics of Living Jim Crow”.

Many people forget or do not realize that race is a social construct used to obtain superiority over others of different skin pigmentation. Race is defined as “a group whose inherited psychical characteristics distinguish it from another group” (Henslin, 2015, p. 263). Although the construct of race may be different in one culture to another, the idea of race is still one that has been conceived by society. There is no biological evidence that race is part of a biological makeup. Ethnicity has to do more with how someone identifies culturally, and can identify with multiple groups no matter their “racial identity.” As ethnicity is defined as “having distinctive cultural characteristics” (Henslin, 2015, p. 266). However, even though race is

In Anderson and Collins’, chapter on “Why race, class, and gender still maters” encourage readers to think about the world in their framework of race, class, and gender. They argued that even though society has change and there is a wide range of diversity; race, class and gender still matters. Anderson and Collins stated, “Race, class, and gender matter because they remain the foundation for system of power and inequality that, despite our nation’s diversity, continue to be among the most significant social facts of peoples lives.” (Anderson and Collins, 2010) When I was a little girl, I never knew that people were classified in to groups such as race, class, gender. I knew there were people that had a different color of skin than

In 1492 Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue. Everyone knows the story of Christopher Columbus; they are taught it in grade school if not before then. When he landed in America by accident, he had no idea that he would be creating the world's largest Melting Pot. This "melting pot" provided means for a new country, made from a mixture of many cultures and beliefs, thus creating a new country with a new and ever-changing culture. One complication with a Melting Pot is that you cannot put people of different race and ethnicity together without conflict.

Are racial/ethnic minority and/or female students more likely (or less likely) to face any particular stressful discrete life events than those faced by all students?

For one thing, skin color can change your perception of a person, by looking at the celebrities, some of them identify as black and by looking at them, and I never would have thought that some of them were mixed with black among other ethnic background. Some of the celebrities shared a common distinctive religion and culture that could link them together, as well as share different lifestyle experiences, and how they were brought up. Some people try to define race and ethnicity as the same, but they are very different and taking this course open my eyes to several things that I was unaware of, ex: perception, race, and ethnicity play a

Identity development is process that occurs over the course of a lifetime that establishes the sense of self-worth through the reflection of how the person believes that society perceives them, as well as how the individual perceives themselves (Hud-Aleem & Countryman, 2008). Although race is just one factor for the individual to consider in identity development, it’s easy to see how racial-identification can be difficult for individuals who are biracial. For instance, a person’s identity is formulated through the expression of multiple dynamics, including relationships, historical factors, social contexts, and community involvement, as well as other more generalized demographics such as race, gender, age, sexual preference, socioeconomic status, temperament, family structure, and political or religious

Being a minority, at a predominately white institution (PWI) means, constantly seeing images on websites and social media about how “diverse” your school is. You’re, also, constantly hearing about innovative and new policies being put into place to make your institution “more inclusive” for all races. The truth is, it’s all bullshit.

The classifications of race and gender have intersected and caused conflicts with the lives of those close to me, shaping the social world in which I have grown up.