Commentary: As America Gets More Diverse, Let’s Stick Together
Here’s something you can expect some racist white people to be terrified of: For the first time in modern American history, white births are no longer the majority birth. We’ve known for years now that whites are expected to be a minority group in the United States by the year 2050, and this development seems like the first learning curve toward that reality.
For the first time, racial and ethnic minorities make up more than half the children born in the U.S., capping decades of heady immigration growth that is now slowing.
2011 census estimates highlight sweeping changes in the nation's racial makeup and the prolonged impact of a weak economy, which is now resulting in fewer Hispanics entering the U.S.
"This is an important landmark," Roderick Harrison, the former chief of racial statistics at the Census Bureau, told the AP. “This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders."
Harrison is correct; this is indeed a milestone for the ages. But what comes next may be tricky.
While many Blacks and Latinos may cheer at the fact that brown people will soon be at least powerful with numbers in the United States, it’s probably important to note that there are certainly some white people who won’t be as happy.
For centuries whites have been in power in America, and ceding power to others can be hard for some to do. You’re seeing that now with people who outright admit they won’t vote for Obama because he’s Black. You also see that with people who whine that “Latinos are taking over our country,” as if Latinos shouldn’t be allowed to be part of America. And as people get more scared, they also get more angry, which is when things can get ugly.
I love America, and I love that it’s getting more diverse. Let’s just be sure that we all don’t lose our heads on our way.
The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of BET Networks.
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