by Karlton JahmalBuzzFeedBuzzFeed Staff The complexities of race in America could take several articles to untangle. To be Black in the U.S. has such an expansive meaning that traces back to Europeans deciding who got to be "white." While some people, like the Italians and Irish, earned their way into "white-ness," those with even a drop of Black in their heritage were relegated to the lower rungs of the racial ladder.