SGO: Race and Ethnicity

Race is based on genetic characteristics and appearance. Common race does not necessarily mean common culture.
Ethnicity on the other hand is based on oneself and what one identifies as. This can be considered an element within culture.
At cultural events one can see this in action, as people of a certain ethnicity will group together but separate within this group according to their specific cultural identity. Race, being more readily apparent, may be what attracted these people to each other in the first place, but it is their ethnicity, their common culture, that keeps them together. For example, an African American cannot be expected to have the same cultural experiences and roots as an African from Africa.


In a continuation high school race obviously plays a huge role.
But before I get into that, a little background. I grew up in a predominantly white city. Most of my friends are white, and the fact that I'm not just never bothered me. Race was just not something I noticed. When I first began working at a Continuation School, I was somewhat uncomfortable with the emphasis many of my students put on race.
I noticed that the Mexican kids hung out with the Mexican kids. The white kids with the white kids, the black kids with the black kids. Not to say there wasn't any intermingling involved, but for the most part, the kids spend more time with people of their own race.
Now, there are more than three cliques inside the school. While it is similar race, the most outwardly apparent feature, that attracts students to each other, they soon separate into ethnic groups.
From here I will narrow my focus just a little bit to the Mexican kids, since they are the ones who spend the most time in my room during break times.
The more traditional Mexican kids that come from more traditional families tend to group together, transitioning easily from Spanish to English. The more Americanized Mexican kids will spend time together, speaking mainly in English, though still retaining a pride in their culture. These kids are attracted to each other due to their race, but they separate based on their own cultural differences.

One's race plays a huge role in one's sense of identity. In a continuation school, where these lines are so clearly defined, one's identity becomes defined by one's friends. Identity is an important thing to a teenager, thus friends are chosen wisely, each student doing his or her best to fit into the social construct of the school.