Part I
The term “Hispanic” is considered to be an ethnicity rather than a race. According to the OMB it is defined as “a person of Mexican, Puerto Rican, Cuban, Central or South American, or other Spanish culture or origin, regardless of race” (Rose 8). One reason for this is the diversity within the Hispanic community. The Hispanic community is very diverse and encompasses many countries and regions. They do not all share one culture or physical appearance, unlike white Americans or African-Americans who are more similar in physical appearance and culture to others in their racial category. Hispanics differ in physical appearance because of the different races that are considered Hispanic. A person can be white Hispanic, black Hispanic or even Asian Hispanic. The person is considered Hispanic not on the basis of their race but on the basis of the culture and language that they were born into. This group can affect the size of the black/African-American racial group because as previously stated, there exist people who are black Hispanic. If they are only counted as Hispanic and not also black then the African-American group would appear to have less people than is actually the case. Including black Hispanics as African-Americans would possibly make African-Americans the first largest minority group in the United States.
Part II
After hearing the “Getting Down to the Roots” lecture, I understand further the importance of hair in the African-American community. I agree with the analysis of the case study. I think the patient was correct in being offended and I disagree with the medical assistant’s views on the patient’s hair. She erroneously assumed that the patient’s hair was some sort of extension or weave and not her actual hair. She did not take the time to ask the woman about her hair and instead made assumptions about it. She also did not realize that hair is an important part of African-American culture and has been for quite some time, which is why the patient was offended. Hair has historically been used in Africa to denote ethnicity, social status, and religion. When Africans were brought to America through the slave trade their hair was shamed and considered unattractive by mainstream white American society. Black people were and still are to some degree forced to conform to white cultural norms.
