Diversity - Race, Ethnicity & Nationality
RACE, ETHNICITY & NATIONALITY
HELPFUL TERMS
- Race- Based upon the concept of dividing people into populations or groups on the basis of various sets of physical characteristics (which usually result from genetic ancestry).
- Ethnicity- An ethnic group or ethnicity is a population group whose members identify with each other on the basis of common nationality or shared cultural traditions.
- Multiracial vs. Multicultural- In most cases, race is unitary — i.e., a person may belong to one race, but may claim ethnic membership in multiple groups. For example, someone may be racially Black in spite of one of their parents being Caucasian. On the other hand, a person can self-identify ethnically as Scottish and German if they have lived in both ethic groups.
- Nationality- The status of belonging to a particular nation.
- Human Construct- Reflects shared ideas or perceptions that exist only because people in a group or society accept that they do, often resulting in conscious or unconscious bias towards certain races, ethnicities, and nationalities.
CONVERSATION STARTERS:
- In your opinion, what does it mean when we use the terms: Race, Ethnicity, or Nationality? Give an example of each.
- Do you feel like you have been discriminated against based upon any of these identifiers?
It is important to understand conversations around DEIB can (and most likely will) be awkward, and even uncomfortable, at times. Acknowledge it, own it, and make it okay. Give everyone a safe space to ask questions and have meaningful conversations about terms, concepts, and ideas with which they may not be familiar.
RELATED ACTIVITIES:
- Lead your team in the following exercise: Give everyone a piece of paper and writing utensil. Instruct them to fold it in half and write down a description of themself. What race, ethnicity, and/or nationality do they identify with most closely? Describe the characteristics that make them the unique person they are. Skin, hair, beliefs, traditions, etc. Be as specific as possible. Once all have finished, read the definitions of the terms: race, ethnicity, & nationality. Then have them volunteer to read their descriptions and if they want to change anything given the true definition of these terms. Do they want to change any of the description? Do they see similarities in others that may not have been obvious before the exercise? Do they now identify more closely with others participating in the exercise due to the information shared?
RELATED RESOURCES:
Race, Ethnicity, & Nationality Explained: https://prezi.com/utadu6rp1bho/raceethnicity-and-nationality-sociology-u6a2/
Race, Ethnicity, Nationality and Jellybeans: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqV3CK6QfcU
Ethnicity vs Race: https://www.diffen.com/difference/Ethnicity_vs_Race
Social Construct: https://examples.yourdictionary.com/what-is-social-construct-common-examples-explained
