In today’s world, race is a big topic of conversation. It’s debated on the news, in social media, and online. But one of the most confusing things about race is what exactly is a “race”, and what isn’t.
For me, this has always been a personal issue. All of my grandparents are of different nationalities, making it confusing for me to answer that most basic of questions when growing up: “What ethnicity are you?” “What race are you?” “Are you white?” Technically, my ancestry comes from four different countries and four completely different cultures: My grandparents and parents are Italian, Irish, Japanese, and English. So, answering the next question was always a complex answer. I am not just one race, or am I? Is Italian considered a race or is it just an ethnic group? I don’t consider myself just white or Caucasian because I have so much more diversity in my background.
image 1: “Set Female Faces of Different Races, Vector Illustration.” 123RF Stock Photos, www.123rf.com/photo_64590620_stock-vector-set-female-faces-of-different-races-vector-illustration.html.
People often talk about black, white, Muslim, Indian, Asian, or Hispanics as different races. And other times, people also include ethnic groups like Italian, Irish, Polish, and more. So, what is the difference between an ethnic group and a race?
What is race?
Race is a population of people that share similar characteristics. Characteristics like skin color, hair color, eyes, facial shape are found in each specific race that make each group distinct from each other. For example, the African-American race usually has a brown or black skin tone and dark hair. The Asian race tends to have an olive skin tone, with straight dark hair, and a deeper eyelid fold.
image two: “Ethnicity vs Race.” Mountain Bike vs Road Bike – Difference and Comparison | Diffen, www.diffen.com/difference/Ethnicity_vs_Race.
What is ethnicity?
Ethnicity usually refers to the culture of a group of people that are from a specific region, or relatives from the region too. Most ethnicities can also be broken down to even smaller ethnic groups, usually based on their physical location. Like someone with a Native American ethnicity can be broken down into an even small ethnic group based on their tribe or even the location of the tribe. Because ethnicities cover a large group of people and relatives, most of the ethnicities have distinct traditions that are based on the smaller group. Language, heritage, nationality, clothes, religion, food and traditions are just some things that ethnic groups get from their given ethnicity that may differ greatly from other ethnicities. For example, a person with a Muslim ethnicity is probably more likely to practice the Muslim religion, wear traditional Muslim clothing, and follow the same rules and traditions as their region. But that’s not always the case. Many ethnicities also have physical traits that are found within each group. For example, many German ethnicities have light-colored or blonde hair and blue eyes.
image three: Conroy, Jenna. “Inclusion & Diversity: Stop Wasting Time & Money on Diversity.” Exude, Exude Inc., 7 Dec. 2017, www.exudeinc.com/blog/inclusion-diversity-stop-wasting-time-money-on-diversity/.
What is the difference?
While the differences between race and ethnicity are interesting, in the end, in my view, there is no real difference between race and ethnicity. Both groupings share a lot of the same aspects. Each race or ethnicity is broken down into smaller groups based on their specific region, with similar characteristics, and similar traditions, religions, language and heritage.
So for a person like me, made up of numerous different nationalities, I am also made up of numerous different races. My Italian race has some of the same characteristics as my Japanese race, but then some are dramatically different. Each group has its own elements that make it diverse and authentic. In my case, I have many different characteristics. I have an Italian heritage. Italians are known to usually have a more olive skin tone, often have dark hair and oval eyes, are often Catholic and family-oriented, Italians have many traditional customs, but those are often broken down even more specific by the location of each city in Italy. The Asian race has a darker skin tone as well, very dark brown or black straight hair, and usually almond-shaped eyes. But just as the Italians have different culture traditions depending on whether you are from Florence or Rome or Naples, the Asians too are different depending on their location. The Chinese look different than the Japanese, who look different from the Koreans. Like the Italians, they have some similarities in religion or customs, but likewise, some are dramatically different.
image four: “Estee Lauder’s Newest Skincare Launch For All Ethnicities.” Beauty Blitz, beautyblitz.com/estee-lauders-newest-skincare-launch-all-ethnicities.
To me, these descriptions of the two ethnicities sound a lot like the descriptions for two races. I don’t see a difference between the race and ethnicity. And I think that when you break down each race or ethnicity, they actually sound exactly the same. But, for some reason, people always see race as an entirely different entity. They see race only by the color of your skin, which it is not. Just because an English person has the same similar color of skin as someone that is German, does not mean they should be grouped together as one race just by one color.
Take me as an example. I have four different ethnicities and races. But, when I have to check a box on a standard form, I am still considered white, because I generally “look” like I am white and they don’t allow for distinguishing any of the races that I am a part of. Contrast that with another person, who might have even more plain Caucasian than me, yet because they have some African-American race, they might be considered black. It is this idea of the color of our skin that somehow separates us into separate categories even if we really aren’t. I am part Asian, even if not full. That person is part white, even if they are not full. In the end, the one race that everyone is a part of, no matter what ethnicity, whether you are part white, part Indian, part Italian, is the human race Tragically, it’s the one race that many people forget about the most. It’s the one race that no one can or should ever ignore. It brings us all together, no matter the traditions, cultures, religions, or characteristics that we may be broken into. In the end, we are all human. We are all the same. And we should do our best to remember that always.