Race and Ethnicity in the United States Still Matters

Humans define race by how they conceive and categorize different social realities. Thus, race is often referred to as a social construct. The differences in skin color and facial characteristics have led most of society to classify humans into groups instead of individuals. These constructs affect us all, and they often result in situations where majority racial groups cause undue suffering to those that are part of the minority. The understanding of race as a social construct is best illustrated by the examination of racial issues within our own culture, specifically those that have plagued the history of the United States.

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.

Race relations have always been a very controversial topic in this country and still are. In the mid-1900s there were many writers who felt very strongly about how African Americans and white people interacted together. In this paper three individual excerpts by three different authors will be discussed. All three of these authors have different viewpoints because of how they see the world based on their individual life experiences.

My pre-adolescent years were spent in a community thick with diversity. My friendships were as diverse as the environment in which I lived. It never struck me that racial and ethnic ideals separated people in society. However, upon moving to a predominately white upper-class community I began to question such racial and ethnic ideas. From my adolescent years through today I began noticing that certain people are viewed differently for reasons relating to race and ethnicity. As a result, the most recent community I grew up in has kept me sheltered from aspects of society. As a product of a community where majorities existed, I found myself unexposed to the full understanding of race and ethnicity. Prior to the class I had never fully dealt with issues of race or ethnicity, as a result I wondered why they would be of any importance in my life.

"Half-breed”, “Mulatto”, “Octoroon.” All of these terms at one point served to describe individuals of mixed race, particularly African and Caucasian. The controversy of interracialism has transcended generations, as well as cultures. It is a subject that, historically, has held the potential to incite savage racial discrimination, loathing, and violence. Indeed, even in today’s significantly more enlightened and politically correct views on race, interracial relationships and individuals still possess the potential to make many uncomfortable.

What does the increase of individuals who self-identify as multiracial mean for the color line as those who come from mixed-race grow up and have their own children? How will that affect racial categories? These questions are answered in article 11 titled Beyond Black and White: Remaking Race in America by Jennifer Lee and Frank D. Bean, in the book Rethinking the Color Line by Charles A. Gallagher.

In his article, “Children of Interracial Parents Face Special Difficulties”, Frank A. Jones argues that biracial children, especially black males, face difficulties due to their parents raising them based on white parenting standards without considering the way modern society will treat them. Jones describes how biracial children think they are different, which builds up the fear of getting judged and leads to racism. Frank emphasizes the need of not just love and affection in raising a child or more specifically a biracial child but “guidance, discipline, self-perception, and survival perspective” and also the importance of education being a must and not an option. Biracial

of life. However, a major issue which arises with this increasing diversity is race, a topic which

Understanding the concept of racial identity and flexibility is imperative in order to see the gray areas of life that help avoid the hardships that humans like McBride encountered. But sometimes different minorities and white Americans tend to believe that by clinging on to the dominant race one may move ahead. Not only does this promote racial supremacy, but clinging on to the idea of a dominant race also promotes anti-miscegenation. Racial supremacy is the belief that race is responsible for the differences in human character and that a specific race is superior to others. This belief alone is bad, however, paired with anti-miscegenation which is a law from McBride’s time period that prohibits interracial relations or marriage, it has a synergistic effect which can be seen throughout his experiences growing up as a black Jewish boy with a white mother. In the 1960s it was bad enough being an African-American because of the amount of judgment that was received for one’s skin tone, but even worse because of those who believed in white supremacy. Naturally, McBride has many questions for his mother in regards to his identity and who he belongs to or should classify himself with. This, in turn, causes a gap between McBride and his mother. A clear example can be seen when McBride

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”.

This essay will be delving into the roots of race and ethnicity and will be discussing the advantages and disadvantages of racial and ethnic labelling and ways to overcome the negative things that are associated with racial and ethnic labelling and categorization. Race and ethnicity are two different things but yet have striking similarities. One focuses on the biological characteristics of a person the other focuses on the cultural practices of a group or

The social construction of race and the conjured up idea of different races affects many Americans on a macro and micro scale or institutionally and individually, respectively. To sociologists, this idea of a socially constructed race matters because race has a tremendous influence on people’s lives.

Interracial couples as well as same sex couples face many of the same controversial problems and dilemmas, however, not many differences could be seen between the values of these couples regardless of their generations. The two different groups of individuals being interviewed were a selected group of interracial couples of an older age group ranging from 60 – 33, and a group of same sex couples the ages of 25 – 19. The relationship that was being studied was the relationship values between individuals in interracial relationships in previous generations versus the values of individuals in same sex relationships in our current generation. My hypothesis was that interracial couples as well as same sex couples face many of the same

In America there has always been “racial” tension. Although it would be more accurate to state that there has always been “ethnic” tension in America. The term “race” can be used to target an individual’s differences in physical appearance, and while in the past this was commonplace practice, today, however, it is more apt to use “ethnicity’ to differentiate (Segregated America - Separate Is Not Equal). A person’s upbringing that helps shape who they might become (Persell 98-107).

Media makes significance about race and ethnicity, and assumes a vital part in forming the way we comprehend race and ethnicity as a major aspect of our character, our history, our social establishments, and our regular daily existences. Regularly utilized reciprocally, race is a method for arranging people and gatherings on the premise of physical qualities, especially one's skin shading. Ethnicity portrays one's place of source or nationality, one's social foundation or heritage, one's dialect and by augmentation, one's conviction framework. Despite the solid physical and now and again geological roots fixing to particular racial and ethnic personalities, comprehend that race and ethnicity are likewise philosophies, or methods for seeing and comprehension our general surroundings. Race and ethnicity, are hence instilled with importance. They get utilized as descriptors, as well as markers of more extensive ideas and connections. Race and ethnicity can stamp you as having a place with a gathering or as a pariah, as various. These markers not just assign one's skin shading or social foundation, additionally work in a bigger framework and in connection to other racial and ethnic personalities. In this framework, certain gatherings have more power and benefits than others. With a specific end goal to comprehend the social implications credited to particular races and ethnicities, we should look at the chronicled sources of these frameworks and philosophies. A hefty portion of