White people is a racial classification specifier, used for people of Europid ancestry, with the exact implications dependent on context. The contemporary usage of "white people" or a "white race" as a large group of (mainly European) populations contrasting with "black", American Indian, "colored" or non-white originated in the 17th century.
It is today particularly used as a racial classifier in multiracial societies, such as North Africa, United States (White American), the United Kingdom (White British), Brazil (White Brazilian), South Africa (White South African) and Middle East. Various social constructions of whiteness have been significant to national identity, public policy, religion, population statistics, racial segregation, affirmative action, white privilege, eugenics, racial marginalization and racial quotas.