What’s My Race?
Self identifying race has never been more important to Americans than it is now. There has always been confusion when choosing people’s races on censuses, college forms, or any other event where there is the option to choose which race they identify as. The main reason for this confusion would be: How do they know what race they are? A person can see race as a category based on physical appearances and another can see it as a biological and cultural-based category. Most of the time, for censuses, Americans tend to change the race they identify. America is extremely diverse that the 2010 census includes an option to check multiple races and a final option for “Some Other Race” if some one couldn’t choose one of the listed races. The fact is, race can’t be defined as easily as black and white because our nation is filled with so many colors.
Specifically, people of mixed race face the conundrum of which race they should identify as when applying for colleges. One example would be Natasha Scott who has an African American father and an Asian mother. In 2011 when she was applying for college, she had to choose whether to identify as African American or Asian. The reason as to why this was a difficult choice was because if she put African American she would be more likely to be accepted into colleges than if she put Asian. She wasn’t sure if identifying as the race with more benefits was morally right. She is both races, but in this case, chose to be the one most beneficial to her.
As mentioned in the first paragraph, race is can be based on a person’s physical characteristics. 27 year old Brazilian Lucas Siqueira was denied a Brazilian government position because he identified himself as mixed race, but was considered Caucasian by the government. His looks made him White to the populace, but he considered himself Afro-Brazilian. So which race is he? This is what makes self-identification of race so important. Either a person can choose their own race, or others can choose for them. Neither is fully accepted as a way to determine one’s race.
Also mentioned in the first paragraph was how race can be based on a person’s biological make up and culture. In American history, a man was deemed Black if they had even a drop of Black blood in them. This was deemed the “one-drop rule.” Even if a man had White parents, White grandparents, and White great-grandparents, if his great-great-grandmother or grandfather was African American, he was considered Black. In this case, a person would have the right to identify as any race if they have even the tiniest amount of that race in their blood despite their physical appearance not matching their biological relations.
Works Cited:
“For Affirmative Action, Brazil Sets Up Controversial Boards To Determine Race.” NPR. 29 September 2016. Web. 31 October 2016.
“Millions of Americans changed their racial or ethnic identity from one census to the next.” Pew Research Center. 5 May 2014. Web. 31 October 2016.
“Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?” NPR. 16 May 2012. Web. 31 October 2016.
“On College Forms a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex.” The New York Times. 13 June 2011. Web. 31 October 2016.
Rowan Counterintuitive 
feedback provided.
—DSH
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P1. Self identifying race has never been more important to Americans than it is now.
[Maybe, but in a few words, 5-10 at the most, if you told us WHY, we’d be much more likely to want to continue reading.]
There has always been confusion when choosing people’s races on censuses, college forms, or any other event where there is the option to choose which race they identify as.
[What is the subject of that sentence, Scarlett? They? People? Confusion? What SHOULD BE the subject? Make it so. But, so far, you haven’t told us WHY race identification is important.]
The main reason for this confusion would be: How do they know what race they are?
[Who are THEY, Scarlett? So far, you have an essay about either nobody or everybody. Readers have a hard time caring about those categories.]
A person can see race as a category based on physical appearances and another can see it as a biological and cultural-based category.
[What you mean is “Job applicants, college applicants, loan applicants, don’t necessarily identify racially with the checkbox others might choose for them based on their looks.” Try, try, try, to name specific subjects engaged in specific actions, Scarlett. Save your essay from the vagueness of “a person,” “a category based on appearance,” and “a cultural-based category.” Does this help?]
Most of the time, for censuses, Americans tend to change the race they identify.
[Really? That’s truly interesting. What does it mean? Black citizens with black parents who apply for jobs as white but apply to college as black choose “Mixed” when they answer the census? “Change the race they identify” wastes the promise of your premise.]
America is extremely diverse that the 2010 census includes an option to check multiple races and a final option for “Some Other Race” if some one couldn’t choose one of the listed races.
[You said census answerers “change their race identification,” but you haven’t redeemed that promise yet. It’s the one thing I want to know more about.]
The fact is, race can’t be defined as easily as black and white because our nation is filled with so many colors.
[That’s always been true but mostly not acknowledged. It’s likely that we all have some degree of multiracial heritage. But here we are at the end of your paragraph and we don’t know the answers to several questions you’ve raised, or why they’re important: 1) Why is race self-identification MORE important NOW? 2) Who are you talking about? 3) What different answers are given on censuses? 4) Is this a paperwork problem, one that could be solved by better category checkboxes? 5) What’s at stake here? Why is it so important for applications and censuses to have detailed information about the racial makeup of applicants and form-fillers? In other words, why should I continue to read the next paragraph?]
P2. [Let’s eliminate some wordiness and repetition here, Scarlett: Mixed-race college applicants face the moral dilemma of selecting the race most likely to get them accepted. Natasha Scott, the child of an African-American father and and Asian mother, applied to NAME THE COLLEGE in 2011 as African-American to improve her odds, but feels guilty about it.]
P3. [Let’s eliminate some wordiness and repetition here, Scarlett: Because the rules for determining race are fuzzy, institutions can dispute applicants’ choices. 27-year-old Afro-Brazilian diplomatic applicant Lucas Siqueira was denied a Brazilian diplomatic position because the government “race commission” decided his looks made him White. Regardless of how he self-identifies, others will determine how he is treated in his neighborhood, at his school, and by prospective employers.]
P4. Also mentioned in the first paragraph was how race can be based on a person’s biological make up and culture. In American history, a man was deemed Black if they had even a drop of Black blood in them. This was deemed the “one-drop rule.” Even if a man had White parents, White grandparents, and White great-grandparents, if his great-great-grandmother or grandfather was African American, he was considered Black. In this case, a person would have the right to identify as any race if they have even the tiniest amount of that race in their blood despite their physical appearance not matching their biological relations.
[You’ve taken the wrong side of the argument in this paragraph, Scarlett. The “one drop rule” didn’t empower mostly white Americans to loudly proclaim “I’m Black and I’m Proud!” It was written by white legislators to oppress anyone they chose to consider Black. MUCH more important than self-identity in this case was the power of institutions to DECLARE an applicant’s race.]
Let’s agree going forward that, unless you have a better idea, your constituents for this argument will be APPLICANTS. The conflicts about race identification you’re focusing on are pertinent when citizens interact with schools, government agencies, banks, employers—institutions with the power to permit or deny applicants an active participation in economic and social interactions: to go to school, receive loans, take jobs, buy property, live in the neighborhoods of their choosing, use public facilities . . . . If you remember that your SUBJECTS are not just people, but people asking institutions for opportunities, then it will be obvious why IDENTIFYING RACE HAS NEVER BEEN MORE IMPORTANT. [Self-identification is NOT more important than ever. It just conflicts more often than it used to with how OTHERS, meaning INSTITUTIONS, identify us.] OK?
Do you find all of this helpful?
I’d love a reply.
—DSH
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Very very very helpful! Thank you and I will fix these points and ask for feedback when I finish. Thank you!
On Wed, Nov 23, 2016 at 6:00 PM Rowan Counterintuitive wrote:
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