Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the USA
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- Created by: Emily Warren-Ballard
- Created on: 04-06-14 22:31
changes in US population
-USA originated as white European Protesants, black people were slaves
-19&20thC changes:
- end of Civil War 1865, Emancipation of Slaves
- immigration through 19&20th C brought new settlers: Irish Catholics, European Jews, Hispanics, refugees from Africa, middle east & Asia
- 1990s, combined pop of AA's, Native Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders & Hispanics grew @ 13X the rate of non-Hispanic white pop
- 2010 consensus showed Hispanics 16.3% as larger proportion of US pop than AA's at 12.3%
- racial & ethnic diversity largely differs from state to state: Vermont 95% white, Hawaii 24% white
- Hispanic pop grew by 43% between 2000-2010, AA's grew by 12% in same period
- 4 states, New Mexico, Texas, Cali & Hawaii are now majority-minority states
- estimated by 2025, Hispanic & Asian communities will make up 1/4 of US pop
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civil rights
-grew out of 1950s & passage of 13,14 & 15th Amendments, guaranteeing rights for AA's, yet laws in deep south meant rights were not reality for blacks
-seperate but equal rule applied
-civil rights movement sparked from peaceful protest against gov sponspored segregation, which came into the streets & not debating chambers of cong of fed offices of W. DC. key events:
- Brown V. Topeka 1954
- bus boycotts & Rosa Parks along w/ freedom riders
- March for Jobs & Freedom in W. DC, Martin Luther 'I have a dream' speech 1963
- assassination of Luther in 1968
- Million Man March in W. DC 1995
Civil Rights Leaders:
- Luther & Southern Christian Leadership Conference
- Malcolm X and black panthers, Nation of Islam movement
- Jesse Jackson & National Rainbow Coalition
- NAACP
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Affirmative Action - brief history
- debate centres on equality of opportunity or equality of results
- mid 20th C, most civil rights advocates came to believe equal of op would not guarantee equal for minority groups - only have rights in theory, not practice
- 1961, Kennedy ordered projects financed by fed funds to ensure AA, hiring & employment practices would be free from racial bias
- AA attracted critics, 'set asides' and 'quotas' unfair to those in majority & patronising to min
- 'reverse discrimination' - related to Uni of Cali V. Bakke
landmark cases:
- Adarand Constructors V. Pena 1995
- Gratz V. Bollinger 2003
- Parents Involved in Community Schools Inc V. Seattle School District No.1 2007
- Meredith V. Jefferson County Board of Ed 2007
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summary on position of AA
- courts subject quota systems to 'strict scrunity' and look for 'compelling justification' for them
- quotas or preference systems cannot be used by state or local gov w/out showing rules are needed to correct a past or pres pattern of discrim
- in proving that there has been discrim, is it not enough to show racial or ethnic minorities are statistically under-rep among employees
- quotas or preference systems that are created by fed, rather than state law, will be given greater deference
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arguments for AA
- leads to greater multiculturalism
- rights previous wrongs
- opens up areas of ed that minorities may not have considered
- creates a divers student body in ed establishments that promotes racial tolerance
- most effective way of delivery equal of opp
- works - between 1960 -1995, black students ages 25-29 who graduated rose from 5% to 15%
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arguments against AA
- advanatge or preference for 1 groups leads to disadvantage for another group
- AA can lead to minorities being admitted to course they are not equipped for
- such programmes considered condescending to minorities, implying they need extra help to succeed
- AA prepetuates a society based on colour & race
- it is not more than a quota system under another name
- focuses on groups rather than individuals
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has AA been a success?
- 1995, Clinton declared 'AA has been good for America'
- AA was meant to achieve a move in society towards a time when previously disadvantaged groups would no longer be advantaged & such programmes wouldnt be required
- AA programmes seen as a means to an end
agruments for its failure:
- programme that is based on race is unlikely to move society to a point where race no longer counts
- if ill-equipped minorities are put into positions where they might struggle, overall cost may be bigger than OG intended
- if Americans refuse to visit a black doctor because they assume that he or she was admitted to med school on AA rather than qualifications cost may be too high
arguments for its success:
- by promoting diversity, racial tolerance has been enhanced & old prejudices decreasing
- election of Obama
- AA judged in 25 years in Bollinger case - 2028
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minority rep in cong
- 1984 - 21 AA's in Cong all in HofR
- 2011- 42 AA's all in House
- rise in AA members of the House largely due to majority-miniority districts in the 1990s
- 2011 - 28 hispanics in Cong, 26 in House, 2 in Senate
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minorities & pres elections
- 1972 - Rep Shirley Chisholm D, became 1st major-party AA candidate for the presidency, she won 152 delegates at her party's NC
- 1984 - civil rights activist, Jesse Jackson D, won over 3mil votes in D primaries, finished 3rd in no of votes cast. Jackson 1st AA candidate to win a major party pres primary, winning in 4 states
- 1988 - Jackon ran again for D nomination, winning in 10 states
- 2008 - Obama D, 1st black major-party candidate
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minorities in exec branch
- 1st became an issue when LBJ appointed AA Robert Weave as Sec of Housing in 1966
- last 3 sec of states were AA, Colin Powell 2001-05, Condoleeza Rice 2005-09 and Obama's attorney general Eric Holder
2nd term cabinet
-3 AA's Eric Holder, Susan Rice & Anthony Foxx
-1 Hispanic Thomas Perez
-1 Asian American Gary Locke
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minorities in the judiciary
- LBJ appointed 1st AA to SC, THurgood Marshall
- Bush replaced Marshall with Clarence Thomas in 1991
- 1986, Regan appointed 1st Italian - America , Antonin Scalia
- Sonia Sotomayor, Hispanic appointment by Obama in 2009
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