How old were you when you realized which race you are?

Question

We discussed this the other day in my ethnicity class. I had to think for awhile, but I remembered....

I was about 4 or 5 and I was friends with a latina. She asked me why my skin was so light (I'm German and Irish). That's when I first learned about race. How old were you?

It seems that most are around kindergarten age. It was the same in my class too.

Funny story... A girl in my class is half white half black and her teacher told her she had to use the black crayon to draw herself instead of the white one. She asked her mom about it and her mom said, "well, what's color did you think you were?" and she replied, "dark white." I thought that was cute. so innocent. :)

Answer 1

I was in kindergarten, and part-way through the year, we got a new girl in class. She was a different race from me, so I guess I didn't really realize that there were different races till I met her.

Answer 2

I think you mean "ethnicity" -- a single person cannot, unfortunately, comprise a race. Good question, however . . . .

I'm not sure if I can remember a specific time in my life when I realized that I was Caucasian. It's probably something that we're always conscious of, vaguely in a subconsious manner, I suppose, but certain events accentuate that. I went to a private school for much of my elementary school and junior high years, and there was very little ethnic diversity there. However, amongst all of the predominantly Caucasian students there, I remember that there was one African American girl and her brother who were in the grade below me, probably when I was in first grade and they were in kindergarden. It never really made a difference to me or my friends -- the school was so small that we played with pretty much everybody -- but some people were supposedly "scared" of her for no good reason, merely because they had rarely encountered people of "dramatically different" races in our town. I would say that was probably the first time I really remember being directly conscious of other races, although I realized then and now that ethnicity makes no difference to who a person is -- it is merely one's personality, unaffected by stereotypes, biases, and prejudices, that does.

Hope this helps you! =D

Answer 3

Around 5 or 6.

Answer 4

47

Answer 5

Probably 3 or 4...I was a very inquisitive child so I'm quite sure if I saw someone other than Black, I'd ask why their skin looked different.

Answer 6

I'm in a race, huh?

Hmm, good question.....I think I've always known that I was basically a stereotypical white girl really, but my heritage is German, Welsh, and Swedish. I think I learned about that when I was about nine or ten.

Answer 7

My mom is polish and when i was little.When she frustrated,start yelling in polish,i always remember me and my brothers arrogant screamed at for not speaking in English.
Once i got in high school into my mom and dad divorced she went back to her homeland.And i have not seen in three years.But i think i am beginning to understand my hertiage,and how you can something for granted,and but ignorant to the harm to you were doing.

Answer 8

when was younger I was in a class for the deaf- we never worried about race- the thing with deaf ppl is who can SPEAK the best to fool the hearing world, also reading lips.-- race was not a big issue.

my mom is french/creole... my dad Irish-- so I am a ..... vanilla/coco puff? HE HE!

Answer 9

5th grade. I went to a small school where everyone was white. MY 5th grade teacher was a different race. Man, she was wonderful. SHe was why I became a teacher.

Answer 10

Not until I came to America the first time....which was...I believe when I was 16.