Question

1. Write about your experiences with race. What does  race mean?  What does it mean to say race is a social construction? How do you make sense of the existence of race, if it is not biological? You might ask how they first became aware of the concept of race. Have you lived and worked in a diverse community? School? Workplace? How has your "race" affected your life or the life of your family members? Describe your most positive and negative experiences related to race.

Answer 1

Race is defined as the prominent biological differences and similarities as deemed by the society. They make a social difference significantly and they are treated differently from others. Examples of race are white, brown or black skin signifying that they are from different parts of the world.

The phase ‘race is a social construct’ means that more social importance is provided to physical traits such as skin color, hair texture, shape of the eye, etc. All of these signify the genetic differences of the race. In other words, the race signifies the level of importance they have in a society.

If it is not biological, the existence of race is signified how they are being treated in the society in terms of their names and their affinity. Race is not biological however it refers to the superficial similarities. There is no cluster of genes that are common to the race. They are classified based on their appearance or physical traits.

Race has affected me both positively and negatively in my workplace. Since Iam of a particular race, I was refused the promotion and career opportunities. Though I qualified for the next level (I obtained second rank among 15 candidates in the written test), I was not provided the opportunity for Team Lead because I was not among the preferred race by the MD of the company.

I have also had positive experiences based on race. When I left the company described above as I was rejected due to my race, I joined a publishing multinational company headquartered in Europe. Race was not a bar for growth. However, people liked me more because of my race. I moved up the career chart and became the Team Lead for the Rewards and Recognition Committee!!!