Usage note
Genetic evidence has undermined the idea of racial divisions of the humanspecies and rendered race obsolete as a biological system of classification.Race therefore should no longer be considered as an objective category, asthe term formerly was in expressions like the Caucasian race, the Asianrace, the Hispanic race.Instead, if the reference is to a particular inheritedphysical trait, as skin color or eye shape, that salient feature should bementioned specifically: discrimination based on color.Rather than usingrace to generalize about national or geographic origin, or even religiousaffiliation, it is better to be specific: South Korean, of Polishdescent.References to cultural affiliation may refer to ethnicity or ethnicgroup: Kurdish ethnicity, Hispanic ethnicity.Though race is no longerconsidered a viable scientific categorization of humans, it continues to beused by the U.S. Census to refer to current prevalent categories of self-identification that include some physical traits, some historical affiliations,and some national origins: black, white, American Indian, Chinese,Samoan,etc. The current version of the census also asks whether or notAmericans are of Hispanic origin, which is not considered a race. There aretimes when it is still accurate to talk about race in society. Though racehas lost its biological basis, the sociological consequences of historicalracial categories persist. For example, it may be appropriate to invoke raceto discuss social or historical events shaped by racial categorizations, asslavery, segregation, integration, discrimination, equal employment policy.Often in these cases, the adjective “racial” is more appropriate than thenoun “race.” While the scientific foundation for race is now disputed, racialfactors in sociological and historical contexts continue to be relevant.