WiNK

Identity: Religion, Ethnicity, and Race

Sites like Ancestry.com and 23andMe have become increasingly popular as a way to learn more about one's heritage, or their inherited sense of identity. In these tests, DNA is used to determine what ethnic group one's ancestors belonged to. I took the test a couple years ago, and my results were quite interesting. According to Ancestry.com, I am 28% European Jewish. This percentage is second only to the "England & Northwestern Europe" group (30%). While I do know some members of my family practice Judaism, my direct family does not. While this ethnicity is a part of my heritage, the religion is not a part of my identity. My experience in America is very different from that of those who identify as Jewish.

Since it is Jewish American heritage month, these Ancestry results rose in my mind again. I realized that many people struggle with determining the differences between certain parts of self-identity, such as ethnicity, religion, or race. While I am ethnically Jewish, I am not religiously, and thus do not face the same anti-semitism that many Jewish Americans face from microaggressions to violence. This is related to a concept known as intersectionality, where different parts of one's identity affects an individual in different ways. But, what are these different parts of our identity? I decided to research race, religion, and ethnicity and how they both differ and relate.

I began by researching the differences between religious and ethnic groups, a distinction most relevant to my own situation. I was able to find relatively clear definitions of the two. Religious groups are groups that share a belief system, often involving a god or gods, sacred texts, and/or holy days. While people from an ethnic group may share the same religion, this is not always the case. An ethnic group simply requires that a group of people share common cultural characteristics. This commonality could take the form of shared history, ancestry, language, or traditions. Therefore, my ancestry and shared history is what makes me partially ethnically Jewish.

Having learned about this distinction in my own heritage and identity, I decided to look deeper into a much more common occurrence: the confusion between ethnicity and race. While this has always been quite a clear distinction to me in terms of my individual identity, I have recently seen some confusion on social media as to what qualifies someone as a particular race. Oftentimes, ethnicity enters this discussion as well.

It is important to note that while ethnicity refers to one's cultural identification or heritage, race is most simply classified as a description of physical traits. As race is a social construct (a generally accepted understanding of certain societal trends without real objectivity) it can be hard to determine what traits signify a certain race or can be attributed to a certain ancestry.

According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, race is "a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits." These traits can include hair texture or skin color, both of which are still not clear-cut boundaries. This is why when paperwork is completed for race, one is asked to self-identify. Categories may include: white, black, Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander.

Under government programs, the categories considered under "race" have evolved. At one point, people were asked to identify both their race and "origin," which would be comparable to ethnicity today. However, dividing these categories proved to be too confusing on the Census at the time, and while it was changed, there is lasting perplexion surrounding this topic.

This may stem from the fact that one's ethnic group can often be a good tell of what general racial group one may belong to. For instance, "White" is seen as certain ethnic groups originating in Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa. However, this is not a be-all-end-all situation. How one looks plays a major role in how they are treated in society and how others view their race. White privilege comes from looking white. They have that privilege regardless of what box they may check simply because of their appearance. Likewise, a person of color cannot check off a box on the census and have their oppression taken away.

Overall, my research led me to realize the ways in which ethnicity, religion, and race are clearly different from one another, but also how they may overlap. While ethnic groups are based on one's heritage, they can also be used to gain a relative idea of the racial features one may have. However, race is more greatly based on physical appearance than ethnic or religious groups. Religion is centered around a shared spiritual belief system, while ethnicity encompasses a shared ancestry and culture. All of these features are prevalent. They are important to how individuals are viewed in society today and shape how people view themselves.