Terminology

Race—The group a person belongs to as a result of a mix of physical features, ancestry, and geographical origins, as identified by others or, increasingly, as self identified. The importance of social factors in the creation and perpetuation of racial categories has led to a broadening of the concept to include social and political heritage, making its usage similar to ethnicity. Race and ethnicity are increasingly used synonymously

Ethnicity—The group a person belongs to as a result of a mix of cultural factors, including language, diet, religion, ancestry, and race

Racism—A belief that some races are superior to others, used to devise and justify actions that create inequality between racial groups

White—People with European ancestral origins known in the 19th century as caucasoid (in the United States, white includes people from the Middle East and north Africa) Black—People with African ancestral origins (in the United States, excluding some parts of north Africa) and who fall into the racial group known in the 19th century as negroid

African American—People who fall into the category black and live in the United States