Race And Ethnic Identity

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“Laws are written, policies are enacted, and judges render opinions as if the meaning of race is both well understood and the subject of great agreement” (Snipp, 32). Race and ethnicity are complex and elusive concepts which have had much disputed definitions over time. People have long been attempting to prove that race is biological, although we now know that it is indeed a socially constructed phenomenon that is not rooted in genes (Omi & Winant, 19). Individuals may vary in terms of physical features, or phenotypes, such as skin color, but when it comes down to genetics, there is no substantial difference between people of supposedly different ‘races’ (Harris, 7-8). When analyzing my own racial and ethnic identities, I must take into account …show more content…

Expressing and making known my construction of a racial and ethnic identity is important because I want people to know where I come from and where my family has come from. I do not want to be condensed down into one identity that is based off of my appearance or my name. I am more than these two signifiers. There is much more to my identity than can be collected from these two alone. When people use either of these, they are more likely to conjure up stereotypes to guess at how I am going to act, how I am going to speak, what my capabilities are, or what I am going to look like. I do not want to be labelled as something that is going to flatten my experience into a simple story that is not mine. I understand that there are intersections in mine and other people’s lives that are impactful. Patricia Hill Collins’ concept of the matrix of domination is helpful when trying to understand how our identities are constructed and how they impact our lives. She uses the concept to describe how different identities combine to form a more complete understanding of the ways in which identity impact a person’s life. People are not just raced. Gender, sexuality, and class also play a part in how individuals are treated. Race is an important piece in the puzzle of identity, but it is still just one aspect. In order to accurately understand a person, the multiple identities and positions that a position holds must be taken into

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