Essay On Race And Ethnicity

Race and ethnicity are two important components that gives humans identity. Sometimes race and ethnicity can be confused to be same or used interchangeably. Race and ethnicity are connected, but they are distinct. Race is our biological classification. It is determined from our appearances such as our skin color, hair, nose shape, lip size and other physical characteristics. Ethnicity is our cultural identity. Ethnicity can be determined from our language, tradition, religion, customs, and much more. Race is passed on from generation to generation and it is unchangeable. Ethnicity can be acquired as we live. A person can’t be of two races; they are either black or white. Inversely, a person can have two ethnicities; one followed from birth and others can be acquired. Everyone would agree that …show more content…
Maybe it was too easy for people to identify me as Asian because of my clear brown skin color. Sometimes people would come up to me and ask, “Are you Arab?” and I used to say no. Then they asked again, “Are you Pakistani?” and I would answer them no. Once I asked someone why do you think I am Arab or Pakistani and they would say because you are coving your hair. A lot of the times, people confuse religion with ethnicity just like race and nationality. It is like saying, if a person doesn’t wear hijab then they are not Muslim. Wearing a hijab has nothing to do with my culture, it is my religion for which I wear hijab. Many people in my culture don’t wear hijab, but they are still considered to be Bengalis and just like that many Muslims don’t wear hijab, but they are still Muslims. One change or alteration in appearance doesn’t and can’t take away our religious beliefs or ethnicity. I understand that religion is part of our ethnicity, but there are other factors that contributes to the definition of ethnicity. Lot of people don’t understand that one factor can’t change our