Within any particular population group there is a high degree of genetic variability. Any two individuals within a race may show more genetic difference than any two categorized as being from different races. This variability makes it impossible to categorize any large group of people as a particular race. In fact, most scientists today reject the concept of race as a meaningful way to think about human beings. In spite of the many absurdities and problems that have plagued its existence, race remains as a concept firmly implanted in the minds of many people living today.
Ideas can be very powerful without needing to be correct.
Just as at one time people erroneously assumed the earth to be a flat disc, many people today persist in the belief that the human species can be rationally subdivided into races. This ignorance contributes to, at the very least, a lack of empathy for other people, and at worst, racist hostility and prejudice. I have asked myself this question many times and can never come up with a satisfactory answer apart from concluding that I am a human being. It is not my intention to be flippant in concluding this. The fact is that in the past I have had trouble trying to identify myself with a particular ethnic group.