A race is a group of people or a population who compete with other groups of people or populations for resource and dominance.
The keyword is “competing” for resource and dominance.
Example: white as race started only with few European countries. Jews were not white, Irish were not, Italians were not. But all the above had been recently incorporated into the white race. Jews are now white. Irish are now white. Irish are now white. Eastern European are yet to be included in the white race regardless of their skin color (they don’t have access to all the privileges).
Similarly, some black people belong to the white race. They have been incorporated because their interests are aligned with the white race, therefore they’d fight with white people against black people, if the circumstances require it. And white people know these black belong to their race.
In the same way, some white people belong to the black race. They have incorporated themselves into the black race and would fight along black people for resource and dominance, if the circumstances would require it. They have aligned their interest with black race, and black people who know them have no doubt they belong to their race.
Yet, there are only few black people who belong to the white race, and there only few white people who belong to black race. Reason, while skin color is still heavily associated with race.
In reality tough, race is all about aligned interests and willingness to collectively defend those interests at the detriment of other identified competing groups.
For example, inside Nigeria, we have Igbo race, competing with Hausa race, and Yoruba race, though they are all black.
In Europe, the French are a race competing with the Germans, and the British, tough they are all white.
Using skin color to create race identity is valid at a global level, but is invalid at local level.
Reason why defining race as a ‘race’ to resource between competing groups, is much more helpful for choosing allies and identifying enemies.
Not all blacks are Black.Not all whites are White.
Mandela was black but later became white. Obama is white.
The side you’d fight with or serve more faithful is your race.