An example of what I was getting at through my question is this:
I was in CVS pharmacy the other day and I was looking for hair products. I looked up at the aisle signs and the listing was "Ethnic" for the black hair care products. That sparked my curiosity. Why was the aisle titled Ethnic for that? Also, this doesnt square too well with the dictionary or text book definitions that Rudey posted.
"Of or relating to a sizable group of people sharing a common and distinctive racial, national, religious, linguistic, or cultural heritage.
Being a member of a particular ethnic group, especially belonging to a national group by heritage or culture but residing outside its national boundaries: ethnic Hungarians living in northern Serbia.
Of, relating to, or distinctive of members of such a group: ethnic restaurants; ethnic art.
Relating to a people not Christian or Jewish; heathen. "
I mean, based on this definition, shouldn't the white hair care products have been titled ethnic too?
In addition, note the part that says "Being a member of a particular ethnic group, especially belonging to a national group by heritage or culture but residing outside its national boundaries". So, are they saying that somehow black women live outside the national boundaries of America?
If so, than that says a lot.
I have an inkling of an answer, but I would really like to see other ideas and viewpoints on this to get a better feel for other perspectives and explanations.
The same thing happened in the grocery store, by the way. In Chicago one of the predominant food stores is called Dominick's In Dominicks, an aisle is called "ethnic foods" and in the aisle are basically just Mexican food. Now, I can sort of see this according to the definition that Rudey posted since Mexicans are "foreign" or of a group of people not native to America, but I still don't understand why there only being Mexican food in that aisle constituted the assignment of such a broad and segregative (not sure if that is a word) term like "ethnic".