Race is an emic, not etic concept. In other words, it is in the minds of the beholders, nor an objective fact.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emic_and_etic
In anthropology, folkloristics, and the social and behavioral sciences, emic and etic refer to two kinds of field research done and viewpoints obtained:[1] emic, from within the social group from the perspective of the subject) and etic, from outside (from the perspective of the observer.