Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Because we honor everyone, this work is for everyone.
Race, Ethnicity, Nationality
MACC is a place where all belong.
Diversity fuels the MACC spirit empowering people in our inclusive community.
We celebrate the uniqueness of each individual and multiple points of view.
Be who you are.
We like it that way.
If you have ever filled out a job application or completed a survey for the US Census, you probably had to answer questions regarding your demographics. These questions often offer limited answer choices and may leave some to question what certain terms mean. To help us gain a better understanding of who we are, and how we can describe ourselves and others accurately, let’s explore three of these demographic terms.
Race: A term historically used to classify people based on common physical characteristics. Scientists have proven that while these characteristics can define people from ancient populations, there are no physical characteristics that can distinguish one race from another. Instead, it is recognized that race is a social construct. The racial categories included in the census questionnaire (and other similar questionnaires) generally reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country and not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically.
Examples (as categorized by the US Census): Asian, American Indian or Alaska Native, Black or African American, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, White
Ethnicity: A term used to describe cultural characteristics, such as language, accent, religion, styles of dress, hairstyles, social customs, and food and dietary preferences or restrictions, that define a person as being a member of a specific group.
Examples: American Indian, English, Hispanic, Jewish, Middle Eastern etc.
Nationality: A term used to describe the legal sense of belonging to a specific political nation state, or citizenship (birthright or naturalized).
Examples: American, German, Russian, Nigerian, British, Greek etc.
Ambassador Corner
DEI will help to create a conducive and productive learning environment where everyone is free to communicate without fear of being harassed or segregated and this drives a sense of belonging or being part of a bigger progressive community.
– DEI Ambassador
Further reading and viewing
Teaching Race: Pedagogy and Practice. Vanderbilt University.
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides–sub–pages/teaching–race/
How Do Sociologists Define Race?
https://www.thoughtco.com/race–definition–3026508
Underpinning Principles: Identity, race, ethnicity, nationality
https://www.salto–youth.net/rc/inclusion/archive/archive–resources/inclusiongroups/inclusionethnicminorities/InclusionUnderpinningPrinciples/
Historical Foundations of Race
https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking–about–race/topics/historical–foundations–race
Race and Biology
https://academic.oup.com/bioscience/article/71/2/119/6101069
Are You There, Race? It’s Me, DNA
https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/health–general–science/are–you–there–race–its–me–dna
Human geneticists curb use of the term ‘race’ in their papers
https://www.science.org/content/article/human–geneticists–curb–use–term–race–their–papers
Race Is a Social Construct, Scientists Argue
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/race–is–a–social–construct–scientists–argue/
About the Topic of Race (US Census)
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/note/US/RHI625221
