Will we ever let the past stay behind us and move forward? In today's era, is it the responsibility of people to defend the history of their race solely because of the color of their skin? Depending on the color of our skin, individuals will always be placed and classified under a certain race. In the essay “Race, Culture, Identity: Misunderstood Connections” by Kwame Anthony Appiah, he attempts to explain why race does not exist and the only race in America is the human race. In “Social Identity and Group Solidarity” by Tommie Shelby, he explains how in America, black people are seen as one group, even though there are different cultures among black people. Even though in today's world people of all races get along very well with each other, there are still signs of racism and discrimination that have haunted us since the era of slavery ago has years as African Americans. People tend to find their identity easily because they base others on their race, ethnicity, living conditions, religion, etc. Both Appiah and Shelby relate to the idea of ​​cultural diversity dealing with "race", as Appiah questions whether this race actually exists and Shelby talks about black solidarity being separated and affected due to self-determination and equality. Appiah argues that the only race in the United States is the human race. He states that "American social distinctions cannot be understood in terms of the concept of race" (Appiah 102), meaning that culture defines the world we live in and is the reason our world is the way it is. it is today. Humans are instead separated based on their cultural differences rather than racial ones, as this affects their behavior in many ways. For example, culture influences the human mind because a child must be... middle of paper... Unfortunately, America will always view black people as one. It's not right, but the fact is that it is what it is and there's not really much we can do about it. In today's world, America will not take the time to understand that culture is what separates humans because we are so stuck in the past and all we know is what we have been taught over the years and because racism is not a problem. greater concentration as was the case years ago. Works Cited Appiah, Kwame Anthony. “Race, culture, identity: poorly understood links. » Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomew and Anthony Petrosky. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin, 2011. 101-131. Print.Shelby, Tommie. “Social identity and group solidarity”. Ways of Reading: An Anthology for Writers. Ed. David Bartholomew and Anthony Petrosky. 9th ed. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. 584-610. Print.