Diverse Populations and Community Practice

Ethno-Racial Context for Organizing in Communities of Color

Racial and ethnic demographic changes in the United States have resulted in a landscape in which White people are becoming a numeric minority and people of color, [Page 60]in aggregate, are becoming the majority (Grieco & Cassidy, 2001). The 2000 U.S. Census revealed that the current population is 75% White, 12% Black, 4% Asian or Pacific Islander, 1% American Indian or Alaskan Native, 8% multiracial or some other race, and 13% Hispanic (Grieco & Cassidy, 2001). Hispanic respondents can be counted as White or non-White for census purposes. In either case, the Hispanic population doubled nationwide from 1980 to 2000 (Hobbs & Stoops, 2002). The race and Hispanic origin categories together constitute a minority category growing at a rate that will quickly outpace White population growth (Perry & Mackun, 2001; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). The minority population is significantly younger, concentrated in urban centers in states along the coastal borders of the nation, and experiencing disproportionately high birthrates. Projections for the future suggest that by the year 2050, the entire country will follow California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and the District of Columbia, all of which are currently inhabited by a majority of minorities (Hicks, 1997; Hobbs & Stoops, 2002; Nelson & O'Reilly, 2000; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2001). This reality has sparked reactions from widespread fear to anxiety and resentment among White people, all along the continuum from racists to well-intentioned liberals who have never thoroughly examined their personal motivations for social justice positions. Not only low-income, but also angry middle-class White males have expressed feelings of encroachment and fear of losing economic ground; they blame civil rights equity-building policies for creating a more competitive marketplace where White skin privilege is increasingly challenged (Chappell, 1995; Gibbs & Bankhead, 2001; Lynch, 2000; Maharidge, 1996; Tempest, 2003; Webber, 2003). Recently governmental leadership has evidenced disinterest and invidious contempt for the particular needs of people of color—related to economic and civic exclusion. Policy changes, indeed, have limited protections and affirmative action for minorities of color. These policy changes accompany increasingly negative public sentiment, with some Whites assuming that any earlier issues of discrimination have been solved, while others express active hostility, viewing people of color as competitors who threaten “White jobs” rather than deserving equal treatment.

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