The remark “I'm Black and it's nearly impossible to hide it” illustrates which relationship between race and ethnicity?

• A. Race is not the same as ethnicity
• B. Race equals ethnicity
• C. Ethnicity is irrelevant
• D. Culture defines race

Answer: (C)

Race is a visible category tied to physical appearance, while ethnicity reflects cultural background. The remark shows that race is something others can often notice and cannot be easily concealed, even when a person’s cultural background (ethnicity) might vary or be expressed in different ways. This highlights that race and ethnicity operate as distinct concepts: race is not determined by ethnicity, and in social perception, ethnicity can feel irrelevant to the immediate identification by race. That’s why this item points to ethnicity as being irrelevant in the context of the remark.