Executive Diversity Services

Race vs. Ethnicity: What’s the Difference?

Diversity Training Services

Race and ethnicity are often used interchangeably, but they’re not the same thing. Understanding the difference matters in life, work, and law.

Why This Distinction Matters

We talk a lot about race and ethnicity in conversations on identity, equity, and inclusion. But without clarity, we risk confusing terms and overlooking nuance

What Is Race?

Race is a social construct often based on perceived physical traits like skin color, hair texture, or facial features. It’s not about biology, it’s about how society categorizes people.

    • Examples often include:
       ✔️Black
       ✔️ White
       ✔️ Asian
       ✔️ Indigenous
       ✔️ Pacific Islander

What Is Ethnicity?

Ethnicity refers to cultural identity. and it includes a group of people having shared:

  • Location
  • Language
  • Traditions
  • Religion, or
  • Ancestry

Two people can be the same race, but different ethnicities. For example, a Black man born and raised in Ireland: His ethnicity is Irish, and his race is Black. The key difference is: race is how society sees you and is socially constructed, and ethnicity is how you see yourself (and your culture). You can’t choose your race, but you can identify with, or move between, ethnic identities.

 

Overlap and Complexity

  • Race and ethnicity often intersect, and one label never tells the full story. You can be:
     ✔️ Black and Jamaican
     ✔️ White, Irish and Thai
     ✔️ Asian and Vietnamese
     ✔️ Latino and Indigenous 

Understanding race vs. ethnicity helps employers and coworkers address bias accurately, talk about identity respectfully, and apply legal protections fairly

Don’t Assume. Ask. Learn. If you’re unsure how someone identifies:

    • Don’t guess
    • Don’t group
    • Ask respectfully (only if appropriate and relevant)
    • Don’t ask, “But where are you really from?”

Race and ethnicity are not the same, but both shape how people live, work, and are treated. Understanding the difference isn’t just educational, it’s foundational to equity.

 

By Toby Keeler (he/him)

If you haven’t yet had the opportunity, make sure to order a copy of Elmer Dixon’s powerful memoir DIE STANDING: From Black Panther Revolutionary to Global Diversity Consultant and check out what others have been saying about Elmer and his story.

Check out these other opportunities to see what folks are saying about Elmer and his continued work.