Race and Ethnicity
The world has a population that is racially and ethnically diverse that comprises people with distinct physical, cultural, historical, political, and institutional characteristics. The two terms are defined differently as a race is an ethnic group, which refers to a category of people who are classified differently from the rest of humanity in terms of cultures and some times physical appearances such as skin color or body shape, with specific cultural and physical characteristics (Stanmeyer, 2019). Ethnicity, on the other hand, is the identity of that particular group that could be categorized in various aspects, including nationally, linguistically, tribally, nationally, and racially among other origins or backgrounds. Therefore, while the race is usually associated with biological aspects, ethnicity is linked with identification and cultural expression.
The distinctions within races and ethnicities bring about factors that have significant implications, both positive and negative, on humanity. From a global perspective, races and ethnicities relate differently as the people interact with each other. For centuries issues such as prejudice, socialization, discrimination, segregation, pluralism, and assimilation among others have been associated with both race and ethnicity. People from different parts of the world have developed and maintained relationships where some ethnic groups have had more privileges than others because of their diverse characteristics. In places such as the United States of America, whose population is comprised of different races and ethnicities, some races or ethnic groups are considered superior to others. For hundreds of years, the European Americans, who are referred to as the whites, have been considered a better race than the minorities, entailing the African Americans, Hispanic, and Latino, Native Americans, Asian Americans, and other racial categories included in the country’s population. As such, concerned bodies including governments, agencies, and organizations have been involved in efforts to mitigate the historical marginalization of some groups of people because of their ethnicity or race.
Moreover, race and ethnicity have been intersected with other distinct aspects such as class, health, and gender. The intersection has been a global concern for long because these aspects differentiate the people socially, physically, and culturally regardless of a person’s race or ethnicity. They are factors that create boundaries within humanity as some groups have inferior characteristics to others, entailing that some people have preferences and others have limitations at the same time (SPRINGER, 2016). These factors have had a significant influence on the interaction of different races and ethnicities because of the divisions created. People from different races or ethnicities interact in specific ways depending on their characteristics in terms of class, gender, or health. A poor white household could have an unhealthy relationship with a family of the same racial category while, at the same time, the latter is interacting well with people of Asian ancestry because they have a common element of being wealthy.
In this case, major racial and ethnic groups across the world have different experiences that are mostly defined by their respective characteristics. Cultural and physical characteristics determine how different groups relate in various parts of the world such that in some areas the minorities have better relationships with the majority than in other places. While in some regions power and privileges are shared equally and democratically among the groups, it could be different in others. Hence, there are endless debates to have affirmative actions and firm and equitable policies to address issues such as criminal justice, immigration, and other aspects associated with race and ethnicity in the effort to have a united human race.
References
SPRINGER. (2016). Social Statistics And Ethnic Diversity: cross-national perspectives in. Place of publication not identified.
Stanmeyer, J. (2019, February 28). Race and ethnicity: How are they different? Retrieved from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/topics/reference/race-ethnicity/