(NAME-MCE) Multiracial People Become Fastest Growing U.S. Group

[Tova Stabin]

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> Subject: Multiracial People Become Fastest Growing U.S. Group
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> Multiracial People Become Fastest Growing U.S. Group
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> By Hope Yen
> Associated Press
> June 5, 2009
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> http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://bechollashon.org/resources/newsletters/07-09/multiracial.php
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> Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic  
> group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges  
> traditional notions of race.
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> The number of multiracial people rose 3.4 percent last year to about  
> 5.2 million, according to the latest census estimates. First given  
> the option in 2000, Americans who check more than one box for race  
> on census surveys have jumped by 33 percent and now make up 5  
> percent of the minority population - with millions more believed to  
> be uncounted.
>
> Demographers attributed the recent population growth to more social  
> acceptance and slowing immigration. They cited in particular the  
> high public profiles of Tiger Woods and President Barack Obama, a  
> self-described "mutt," who are having an effect on those who might  
> self-identify as multiracial.
>
> Population figures as of July 2008 show that California, Texas, New  
> York and Florida had the most multiracial people, due partly to  
> higher numbers of second- and later-generation immigrants who are  
> more likely to "marry out." Measured by percentages, Hawaii ranked  
> first with nearly 1 in 5 residents who were multiracial, followed by  
> Alaska and Oklahoma, both at roughly 4 percent.
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> Utah had the highest growth rate of multiracial people in 2008  
> compared to the previous year, a reflection of loosening social  
> morals in a mostly white state.
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> "Multiracial unions have been happening for a very long time, but we  
> are only now really coming to terms with saying it's OK," said  
> Carolyn Liebler, a sociology professor at the University of  
> Minnesota who specializes in family, race and ethnicity.
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> The latest demographic change comes amid a debate on the role of  
> race in America, complicating conventional notions of minority rights.
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> Under new federal rules, many K-12 schools next year will allow  
> students for the first time to indicate if they are "two or more  
> races." The move is expected to cause shifts in how test scores are  
> categorized, potentially altering race disparities and funding for  
> education programs.
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> Five justices of the Supreme Court have signaled they would like to  
> end racial preferences in voting rights and employment cases - a  
> majority that may not change even if Sonia Sotomayor is confirmed as  
> the first Hispanic justice. Blacks and Hispanics, meanwhile, are  
> touting a growing minority population and past discrimination in  
> pushing for continued legal protections.
>
> Left out of the discussion are multiracial people, who are counted  
> as minorities but can be hard to define politically and  
> socioeconomically.
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> Currently, census forms allow U.S. residents to check more than one  
> box for their race. But there is no multiracial category, and survey  
> responses can vary widely depending on whether a person considers  
> Hispanic a race or ethnicity.
>
> Census Bureau: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.census.gov
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> Originally published here: http://www.facebook.com/l/;http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/05/29/multiracial-americans-bec_n_208989.html
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