How we understand diversity in the U.S. has evolved due to both changing patterns of immigration and changing definitions of race and ethnicity. Race, ethnicity, and cultural background are complex, intersecting, and dynamic factors that are integral to many people’s sense of identity. Among non-majority groups, dimensions on which they may be socially disadvantaged (such as race and ethnicity for people of color, or gender for women) often play a more significant role in shaping one’s identity, since one is more likely to be judged or treated differently because of these characteristics. Multiple non-dominant identities can compound one’s disadvantage, and vice versa.