The U.S. population is becoming less and less overwhelmingly white. Projections suggest that, by 2050, whites will compromise less than half of the population. This trend, according to the New York Times today, is being driven by our kids. Below, a map shows the percentage of non-white children in each state of the Union.
Among other things interesting to me about this discussion is the tendency to compare the proportion of the population that is “white” with the proportion of the population that is “not white.” This reinforces the notion that white is somehow pure and important, and everything else is just… something else. While some say that we will no longer be a “white nation” (for better or worse) when whites are outnumbered by non-whites, whites will still be the majority insofar as the non-white group is comprised of an incredibly diverse group of people by race, ethnicity, and immigration-status.
Comments 5
Pitseleh — May 1, 2008
I also love the color selection.
OP Minded — May 2, 2008
They should simply get rid of all those race and ethnic designations on government forms. Who cares the tint of someones skin...?? But then, how would all the government $$ goodies be handed out if "aggrieved" groups couldn't document their numbers?
Tim — May 2, 2008
"This reinforces the notion that white is somehow pure and important, and everything else is just… something else."
No it doesn't, it's just pointing out that whites are the national majority *gasp!* Purity and importance is projected from the viewer.
Dave — May 2, 2008
One must keep in mind the fact that there is no such thing as "white culture". There is certainly German culture, and Italian, and Jewish, and Irish - but no coherent "white" culture like there is a coherent "black" culture stemming from the shared historical fact of racism and slavery.
Audrey — March 5, 2009
What I really wonder about this survey is how it counts children of mixed ancestry.