ethnicity: identity with a group of people who share the cultural traditions of a particular homeland or hearth
race: identity with a group of people who share a biological ancestor
traits that character race usually are genetically transmitted from parent to offspring
lactose intolerance, skin color, hair type and color, blood traits, etc.
racism: the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
racist: a person who subscribes to the beliefs of racism
every 10 years, the US Bureau of the Census asks people to classify themselves according to the ethnicity that they most closely identify with
Hispanic and Hispanic American are terms to describe all people from Spanish-speaking countries
some people of Latin American descent prefer Latino and Latina
some people from Mexico call themselves Chicanos or Chicanas
the census displays the difficulty in distinguishing between ethnicity and race
Asian American is viewed as an ethnicity
Asian is viewed as a race that encompasses people from many countries in Asia
African American is viewed as an ethnicity, and identifies a group with an extensive cultural tradition
black is viewed as a race and encompasses everyone with dark skin
not all black people are African Americans, but Americans are quick to judge and immediately assume a black person is African American
Hispanic is an ethnicity, not a race, which makes it hard for Hispanics to choose which race they are
African Americans
comprise 85% of the population in Detroit
Detroit has less than 10% of Michigan’s total population
Detroit has more than 50% of the state’s African American population
comprise 7% in the rest of Michigan
Hispanics
comprise 25% of New York City
NYC contains 40% of the state’s total population
NYC contains more than 75% of New York’s Hispanic population
comprise 6.25% of the rest of New York
comprise nearly 50% of Los Angeles’s population
the percentage in other California cities is less than or about equal to the overall state average
El Paso and San Antonio are more than 50% Hispanic
the rest of Texas has a percentage below or about equal to the state’s average of Hispanics (which is about 33%)
ethnicities have a distinctive distribution in the US
Hispanics
clustered in the Southwest
make up more than 33% of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas
make up more than 25% of California
California has 33% of all Hispanics
Texas has 20% of all Hispanics
Florida and New York both have 17% of all Hispanics
African Americans
clustered in the Southeast
make up at least 25% of Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, and South Carolina
make up more than 33% of Mississippi
Asian Americans
clustered in the West
make up more than 40% of Hawaii
50% of all Asian Americans live in California
make up 12% of California
about 90% of African Americans and Hispanics live in metropolitan areas, compared to 75% for other Americans
Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, and other Midwest cities attracted people from Southern and Eastern Europe to work in the steel, automotive, and other industries
neighborhoods around the clusters were named or their predominant ethnicities
descendants of immigrants moved and brought their religion, food, and other traditions with them
in cities like Detroit, African Americans comprise the majority and live in previously European neighborhoods
Chicago has African American neighborhoods in the south and west, but also has Europeans, Latin Americans, and Asians
African Americans live in south-central Los Angeles
Hispanics live in east Los Angeles
Asian Americans live in south and west Los Angeles