Daisha Benjamin Dr.

Maidie Golan ANTH 2201 1 March 2013

So, What Are You?

Race is one of the most controversial topics in the United States. Race seems to be a topic that will never go away. When I started this research, I was interested in seeing the results. I was interested in seeing how people identify themselves and whether or not people believe that they fit into a single category. Before I even started this anthropology class, I had many discussions about race. It is something that fascinates me. So, a couple of months ago, some of my friends and I were at Moes and we started to discuss how many races there are, and how do people fit into one category of race. We came to the conclusion that there are probably three to four races, but we believe that it is rare for a person to fit into one category of race. Hopefully, the results of my race research can clarify these questions. The first question I asked during my survey was what is race? I noticed that the majority of the people I surveyed did not know how to define race. One person I surveyed stated, Race is a statement about who your ancestors were and who you identify and connect with now (T. Mintz, survey, February 10, 2013). I think that this definition of race represents how the majority of people identify what their race is. I also think that enculturation plays a big role in how people categorize themselves. For example, if someone lives in a household where Native American traditions are practiced,

then they may choose Native American as their race. According to The Essence of Anthropology, race is a category of subspecies that is not applicable to humans because the division of humans into discrete types does not represent the true nature of human biological variation (Haviland, 145). At the end of the survey, I read this definition of race to each person. I found that the older respondents did not agree with this definition, while younger respondents did agree. I found a similar correlation between age and the number of races. The second question I asked was how many different races are there. I found that older respondents said there are only three to four races, while younger respondents said there are five to six different races. The difference in responses between the age groups is mostly caused by applications and surveys such as the U.S. Census Bureau. Over time, the U.S. Census Bureau has added more options to the race category such as multi-racial or Alaskan Natives (). Younger people are more accustomed to seeing black and white as one option, while older people are used to seeing black or white as two different options. Surveys and applications help to shape our idea about the number of races. Age and number of races was not the only correlation I noticed. Another correlation I noticed was between gender and their responses to what their race was. When I asked people what their race was, I expected to receive simple responses such as Im black or Im white. Instead, I noticed that women were more likely to mention more than one race, and the women elaborated more about their race. The men that I surveyed responded with simple answers and they did not really elaborate more about their race. I am not sure the real reason for the difference in responses. It may be due to the stereotype that women are more detail oriented and focus on things like

race, whereas men do not really focus on things such as their race. I was not expecting to find a correlation between these two aspects, but it was interesting to find out. Conducting this research was intriguing, but it made me start to question the validity of categorizing race. While conducting this research, one of my friends asked how someone determines their race. Nobody is one single race anymore and why does it matter in the first place? (K. Phinazee, survey, February 05, 2013). I found this question to be interesting and it made me start to question the same thing. How does someone identify themselves as one race, when the majority of humans are no longer one race or ethnicity? For example, I identify myself as Black or African American, but I know that I also have Native American, Hispanic and French in my family. So, how can I categorize myself into one category when I fit into multiple categories? Another question I have is why do I need to fit into a category? What is the purpose of categorizing and dividing humans? The U.S. Census Bureau uses these categories to gather information for research such as the correlation between race and health. The Census Bureau gathers health statistics by so called racial categories for the purposes of correcting health disparities among social groups (Haviland, 145). Gathering health statistics may seem like a good enough reason for categorizing humans by race. In reality, there is no correlation between race and health. The U.S. Census Bureau claims that they are not trying to define race. The racial categories included in the census questionnaire generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country and not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically (). In my opinion, our society uses research as an excuse to define race and categorize people.

In conclusion, race has been used for many years to divide and categorize humans, when in actuality it is not possible to categorize people by race. Race should not be used in a biological sense anymore. Instead, race should be used for peoples personal reasons in a social context. Culture is the basis of race. People identify most with their culture and that is how they choose their race. Conducting this research showed me how much influence society has in our lives. Society shapes how we view ourselves and I think we should not always go with what society tells us to. So, the next time somebody asks, What are you? simply reply I am me.

Works Cited Haviland, W., McBride, B., Prins, H., Walrath, D. (2010). The Essence of Anthropology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. United States Census Bureau. (2011). Race Main. Retrieved February 28, 2013, U.S. Census Bureau Web site: http://www.census.gov/population/race/