The world's inhabitants are categorized by many characteristics. These characteristics place those into segregated groups with people who possess that same quality. These groupings are usually determined by one's customs, appearance, language, etc. There are thousands of categories that one person can belong under but the two of the most defining and recognized characteristic is one's race and ethnicity. These aspects of one's life are present and imaged in each activity and are evident factor in the entertainment realm as well as art.
In the novel, How Race is lived in America, three authors present their stories that dive into the realities of race and ethnicity. These stories possess an obvious connection to everyday encounters and question the views on race and ethnicity.
The first article, Shared prayers, Mixed Blessings written by Kevin Sack, demonstrates the changes that occur with one's tolerance and acceptance people have with another's race and more specifically between blacks and white.
Shared Prayers, Mixed Blessings, exemplifies the church, a place for all people in the eyes of God, and how the change of something traditional creates a discomfort. Moreover, the Churchgoers find it difficult to except this idea of integration into a place that is time-honored and sacred. The white parish members are finding this concept of multi-racial and multi-cultured congregation troubling. Many of the white members grew up with little education and exposure to the black race. This issue of race was drawing the people away from the real reason of the church's purpose and meaning. Thus, because minimal interaction between whites and blacks took place prior to the integration of church, the white members have these provisioned characteristics of blacks. These prejudices are holding the white members from the realities and importance of interaction with other racial people. In the entertainment industry such as movies and television, the typical stereotype that a black would be depicted rather than the actuality.