What is race? According to David Newman, race is defined as, “category of people labeled and treated as similar because of some allegedly common biological traits, such as skin color, texture of hair, and shape of eyes” (Newman, 338). Many people get race and ethnicity mixed up. Newman defines ethnicity as, “sense of community that derives from the cultural heritage shared by a category of people with common ancestry” (Newman, 338). A way to differentiate between the two is race is recognizable from a biological standpoint and ethnicity can be considered non-biological traits that connect people to one another.
As I read this chapter, a simple question came to my mind. “At what age do we notice race?” I am not sure if it is the most politically correct question to ask, however, I think it is a very valid one. To be totally and completely honest, I did not notice different races or ethnicities until I was in middle school. Throughout elementary school, I was just happy to “play” with whoever wanted to. As I transitioned to a middle school, I became more aware of differences around me. I think what also made a difference was the location in which my middle school was located. I also remember during that time, my parents view on race and ethnicity. Although I never fully understood why they felt as they did, I just remember the negative remarks and connotations that were associated with anyone unlike those in my family (better known to be white people). As I grew up, there was a more diverse population in my neighborhood. Those of different cultures and religions
After further thought regarding this issue, I came up with a challenge after reading about this Canadian couple who would not tell anyone the sex of their four month old child (article site: http://blog.sfgate.com/sfmoms/2011/05/24/canadian-couple-wont-reveal-childs-gender/). It caused such an uproar due to the lack of conformity of social norms by the parents. My challenge is what if we were not able to know or talk about race until a child was of age? What if we did not conform to social norms that tell us what the distinct differences of race are and how we should treat those of a different race then ourselves?
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