Why is Race Based On Color

In class, we discussed what defines a race as a whole. Education, actions, physical appearance, financial status, associations with other people, language, how they speak, and skin color. Race is defined as a social concept used to categorize humans into large and distinct populations. So technically speaking, it is possible to categorize people on hair style. However, when someone mentally categorizes someone into a race group, it is often based on skin color more than anything else. Europeans are white and sanguine. Asians are yellow or pale skinned. Native Americans are red. Africans are black. Think about it. You probably never heard of mohawkians, afroians, or french-braidians, and you probably never will; they simply don't exist.  Then why is it that race is based on color alone?

It is because skin color cannot be changed or denied. You can change your hair style - the way "they straightened their hair" in the Bluest Eye, change the clothing you wear, change your speaking ability, your language, habits, religion, social affiliations, but you cannot change who you are, and your skin color reminds you of that. When your dead skin peels off, the color is still there. Skin color is also pretty accurate to categorize race into. The image shows that any given race has a fairly definite skin color.

The colors stay constant, but everything else can change. That is why, race is mostly related to color and not to anything else. Race is determined by education, actions, physical appearance, financial status, associations with other people, language, how they speak, and skin color.