The 20th century has witnessed the transformation of the United States from a predominately white population rooted in Western culture to a society with a rich array of racial and ethnic minorities. As the century began, the U.S. population was 87 percent white. The non-white citizens were composed of primarily black Americans living in the rural South. At the century's end, non-Hispanic whites account for less than 75 percent of the U.S. population. The minority population is comprised of nearly as many Hispanics as blacks, surging numbers of Asians, and a small but growing American Indian population. By the middle of the 21st century, non-Hispanic whites will make up a slim and fading majority of Americans. Hispanics will be nearly one-fourth of the U.S. population. Blacks, Asians, and American Indians together will make up close to one-fourth of the population. "Minority" is likely to have a very different meaning in the 21st century.
This transformation of America's racial and ethnic profile is most visible in certain states and communities. The Hispanic and the African-American groups make up at least one-half of the residents in Honolulu, Los Angeles, Miami, San Antonio, and several other metropolitan areas. Within 25 years, California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Texas will be transform from a minority to a majority states in which Hispanics and African-Americans will be more than one-half the population. But many parts of the country have little racial or ethnic diversity. These two minorities make up less than 5 percent of the populations of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and West Virginia, for example.
Hispanics and African-Americans have also become more diverse socio-economically. The number of their minorities in the highest income brackets has more than doubled since 1980, for example, yet their minorities still account for a disproportionate share of the poor. More minority politicians are being elected to public office, but minorities are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to serve time in prison. More minorities are earning graduate and professional degrees, yet a disproportionately large percentage never finish high school.
For most Americans, education is the key to a good job and promising future. In addition, upgrading the skills and education of minorities is crucial if the United States is to compete in the global economy of the 21st century.
Educational attainment has increased for minorities as it did among non-Hispanic white over the past few decades. The percentages graduating from high school and attending four or more years of college improved most for African Americans and American Indians. Yet a smaller percentage of minority students than non-Hispanic whites graduate from high school (Silvestri, 1997). This is an increasingly serious problem given U.S. Department of Labor projections that most new jobs in the next decade will require an education beyond high school. Smaller percentages of minorities than whites get the college or postgraduate degrees that provide access to jobs with the highest pay and greatest potential for advancement. During the 1980s and 1990s, college graduates were the only group whose income increased after adjusting for inflation (U.S. Census Bureau, 1998).
Although many Hispanics and African-Americans have achieved remarkable success in business, academia, and other sectors, they still encounter difficulties in getting and keeping good jobs. They tend to be clustered in the lower-status occupations, and many continue to face discrimination in hiring and promotion. They are more likely than whites to be unemployed. African American, American Indian, and Hispanic men were roughly twice as likely as white men to be unemployed. The pattern is similar among women. The question remains on why are these groups of people with their differences in them do receive such discriminating acts? How can leaders of the society eliminate this kind of problem? They must think of a solution for the betterment of their country.
References:
Gallup, George Jr. and Frank Newport, "Americans Ignorant of Basic Census Facts," The Gallup Poll Monthly no. 294 (March 1990).
"Race Relations Poll". Personal communication with the Gallup organization, Jan. 4, 1997
Silvestri, George T. "Employment Outlook: 1996-2006, Occupational Employment Projections to 2006". Monthly Labor Review. (November 1997): 58-83.
U.S. Census Bureau, "Measuring 50 Years of Economic Change Using the March Current Population Survey," Current Population Reports. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, September 1998. P60-203
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