
Race and ethnicity play a significant role in human identity, but knowing how to talk about it and navigating ethnic conversations can be challenging.
Understanding how to foster community amid diversity has continued to be a relevant topic in light of the recent changes in immigration law, affirmative action and DEI policies.
One factor that can make these ethnic conversations complex is that people communicate and perceive messages differently.
In 2024, J. Baxter Oliphant, from the Pew Research Center,
The study found that 62% of adults saw “people being too easily offended” as a pertinent issue in the United States. In a separate question, the study found that 47% of adults viewed “people saying things that are very offensive” as a big problem.
Similar themes have shown up in BYU, as students shared thoughts on whether or not it’s appropriate to ask about race in a first interaction.
“I think because I've gotten used to it, it doesn't matter to me," Nia Iketau, a Tongan student from Utah, said. "If anything, the initial thought for me is, ‘Oh, it's actually really cool that they're asking.'”
Contrastingly, some students feel that race and ethnicity are not relevant topics in introductions. Students explained they would prefer fellow students to ask about their day or ask about their major before asking about their ethnicity.
Another factor to consider is how the ethnic demographic of BYU has influenced students’ and employees’ experiences. According to BYU’s facts and figures

Bryanna Larnyoh, a Ghanaian-American student from Los Angeles, said it was a “culture shock” when she first came to BYU.
“I felt like a unicorn in a land of ponies,” Larnyoh said.
Other people of color expressed similar shock that came from the ethnic makeup on campus.
Michelle DeWitt, a half-white, half-Panamanian student from Missouri, said it's easy for her to feel like a misfit, although that's a mindset she's trying to change.
Even students who identify as white have noticed the disparity in the ethnicities represented at BYU.
“There's sometimes an underlying, ‘Oh, I'm a white guy with a bunch of other white people around here,'" Timothy Spiesman, a student from North Carolina, said. “It's not really the greatest feeling, looking at it like, ‘Oh, I’m just part of the not-diverse majority.'”
With diverse perspectives and experiences, it can be hard to know the best way to create a community of belonging for all. However, there were several common solutions that students and faculty members brought up.
One common theme was to focus on the individual person rather than their perceived ethnicity.
Anthony Bates, the managing director of BYU’s Sorensen Center for Moral and Ethical Leadership, shared one way people can check their motives while asking questions.
“I think each of us has to ask ourselves when we're engaging with each other, ‘Do I want to sincerely learn about the person from their vantage point or from my perception of them?’” Bates said.
Students like DeWitt shared what that would look and feel like.
“Looking at me in the eyes, talking with me, asking about me, asking about my interests and then asking me about my ethnicity,” DeWitt said. “I think just right off the bat feels really confrontational and awkward for me.”
Another common suggestion was having a more internal approach to belonging.
Ivan Galindo, a student from Honduras and Chicago and president of Latinos Unidos, said his experience at BYU has been positive. He shared how he felt minorities could have an active role in fostering community.
“Embracing, ‘I am a minority. Ok, what are we gonna do about it? Am I gonna share with people my culture? Am I gonna allow people to share theirs?'” Galindo said.
Spiesman also shared tips for students who struggle to feel like they have a culture. He said learning about his ancestors and his last name helped him connect with his ethnic identity.
“Learning that story tells you more about where your family comes from and tells you more about who you are,” Spiesman said. “You can find a lot of pride in that. You can be happy to be who you are.”

Overall, several people touched on the role divine identity and BYU’s faith foundation play in creating bridges.
“A lot of our ability to give someone a primary identity as a child of God is recognizing their individuality and their individual gifts and talents,” Bates said. “Letting them articulate what those are, as opposed to us dictating to them.”
DeWitt and others also pushed for people to talk about ethnicity, but with a Christ-centered approach from both sides of the conversation.
"BYU is the perfect space to talk about it and make mistakes while talking about it,” DeWitt said. “We're supposed to be a Christlike space [and] be the space that emulates Christ’s forgiving nature.”