AP, May 28, 2009
Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges traditional notions of race.
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.
Utah had highest growth rate
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.
{snip}
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.
Some would like to end racial preferences
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. Demographers say that while some multiracial Americans may feel burdened or isolated by their identity, others quickly learn to navigate it and can flourish from their access to more racial networks.
Dilute racial identity politics?
“The significance of race as we know it in today’s legal and government categories will be obsolete in less than 20 years,” said William H. Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution.
{snip}
Liebler [Carolyn Liebler, a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota] noted a potential dilemma where a white student who is one-eighth Cherokee applies to college and seeks an admissions preference based on race and disadvantaged status. Should the college give the multiracial student the boost, if one-eighth of his family suffered a past racial harm but seven-eighths of his family were the perpetrators?
Big question for legal system
{snip}
Census data also show:
# More than half of the multiracial population was younger than 20 years old, a reflection of declining social stigma as interracial marriages became less taboo.
# Interracial marriages increased threefold to 4.3 million since 2000, when Alabama became the last state to lift its unenforceable ban on interracial marriages. (The Supreme Court barred race-based restrictions on marriage in 1967.) About 1 in 13 marriages are mixed race, with the most prevalent being white-Hispanic, white-American Indian and white-Asian.
# Due to declining immigration because of legal restrictions and the lackluster economy, the growth rates of the Hispanic and Asian populations slowed last year to 3.2 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, compared to multiracial people’s 3.4 percent. The black population rose at a rate of about 1 percent; the white population only marginally increased.
No multiracial category on census
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.
“It’s all about awareness,” said Susan Graham, founder and executive director of California-based Project Race, which advocates for a multiracial classification on government forms. “We want a part of the pie chart.”
The 2008 census estimates used local records of births and deaths and tax records of people moving within the U.S. The figures for “white” refer to those whites who are not of Hispanic ethnicity. For purposes of defining interracial marriages, Hispanic is counted as a race.
Original article
(Posted on May 29, 2009)
Comments
“The number of multiracial people rose 3.4 percent last year to about 5.2 million” The AP is acting like this is somekind of watershed moment. Only 5.2 million out of a population of more than 300 million people and they’re leading us to believe that just about everyone is now multi-racial?!
I suspect this article is pure propaganda for the following reasons:
It’s at odds with a story that was done almost a year ago that said fewer people were identifying as multiracial than 10 years ago and more immigrants are choosing to marry within their own race. So what happened in the year since?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-05-04-multiracial_N.htm
“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.”
Interracial marriage is and always has been a moral question.
The only way the European-American can possibly be saved now is if a new Civil War got started over the issue of the promises made by Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln promised protection and civil rights for White Americans, all based on race-preservation.
Only a movement which openly and vociferously declares that Lincoln’s promises have not been fulfilled can lead to some sort of salvation for what remains of White America.
The original nation itself cannot be saved now.
The idea that the increased number of interracial relationships and biracial children is due to more social acceptance is ludicrous. It is directly due to a well thought out and well executed plan to breed the white race into a minority and ultimately destroy it altogether. Just look at all the TV commercials and TV shows that promote black male white female relationships. White males are portrayed as buffoons in front of white females who are with black males. We need to boycott all products and shows that promote this. It’s pure bigotry. R.K.S. (remember Kevin Shifflet)
Also, even though black male-white female couples outrage everyone, Hispanics and Asians are the ones that will ultimately ruin us. Black/White couples are a distraction. Immigrants are the true threat.
Interracial mixing won’t solve the Great American Dilemma, just make it more interesting.
[“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.”]
Hawaii is a polyglot. There are many hybrid Asians of all sorts, as well as mixed whites.
Alaska and Oklahoma don’t surprise me either. Alaska has many white people with a mixture of Eskimo/Native ancestry. When the Russians ruled Alaska, many had produced offspring with the Inuit Alaskans. Some of those are as White as you and me or any White person, but choose to identify as “bi-racial” because it has more pull in the workplace and academia.
In Oklahoma, the common mixture is White (usually Scots-Irish) and Native American (usually Cherokee or Choctaw).
My wife is Half Mexican and Half white and you wouldn’t even know it. Coming to amren has really made me racially aware. I bring what i learn to the attention of my family. I always promote to stay and breed white. Not that i have hate or anything like that for others. I see the powerful importants of staying one race. i move on with this mind set. My wife is a good soul and i love her. To be racially aware is a disipline that is on going and not to be forgotten. Stay away from the melting pot. Stay White.
“if one-eighth of his family suffered a past racial harm but seven-eighths of his family were the perpetrators?”
Anonymous:
Most white Southerners have Amerindian ancestry, especially in the Deep South. The reason is that white exploring parties had few if any women, and therefore that inevitable energy was directed at Indian women. The offspring, for some reason, were taken back in to white families.
I have Cherokee ancestry myself, though no more than about 3% if that (interestingly, my mother looks like she has a lot of Native). I don’t really consider myself as multiracial, given that small amount. I’m predominantly white, I was raised white, I consider myself white. The Cherokee ancestor was at least a 4th-great-grandparent, possibly a 5th, and I’m not sure who it was. My ancestors since that time have married white.
You can just see a hint of it in my eyes, and I’m a brown-eyed brunette. Other than that—I pretty well look white.
Interesting sidenote, since someone brought up the South: Most Cherokees fought for the Confederacy.
I think it’s strange how they were bemoaning the decline of people who identify as mixed race not too long ago and now this. This story is bogus because there are alot of Americans with 1/8 or 1/16 or less Indian ancestry, more than people indicate on a census form. I don’t approve of it because it weakens the gene pool but I guess if they did alot of digging and looking into their geneology, the mixed race category would jump higher than the 1.9% that identify as such. That is why the percentages are higher in Alaska and Oklahoma. Hawaii is a non-issue as these are mostly nonwhites (orientals and Hawaiians) mixing.
You can just see a hint of it in my eyes, and I’m a brown-eyed brunette. Other than that—I pretty well look white.
_____
Alexandra,
Genes can turn on or off depending on the external factors. You can never know exactly when they appear or not.
Like here:
http://racialreality.110mb.com/americans.html
They look pretty white but you can’t know how their children will look like.
Multiracial Americans have become the fastest growing demographic group, wielding an impact on minority growth that challenges traditional notions of race.
Not where I live. The fastest growing groups include the Mexican illegals and their families (largest by far and the majority of the population about 40%, whites are now about 35%), then next to that probably Latin/South Americans, Asians and then the recently imported Africans are growing in numbers with more on the way!
I do see many white males in their teens and twenties here with Mexican, Asian, and black females. Some of the middle aged and older males are following that trend. Some young white females are with other races, but I know several white women who want, but have alot of trouble finding single white males because they are in relationships with Mexican, asian or black females or they’ve paid for a woman to come over from another country causing a shortage of white males for white females.
Some have mixed children, some just appear to be dating and childless. White couples are increasingly becoming a minority-here anyway. Don’t know about elsewhere.
It’s the same back in Tennessee. I’m half Eastern Band Cherokee and half Irish from County Cork. Most of the people I knew growing up were random mixes of Cherokee and either Irish or German. It’s just part of Tennessee’s culture.
I have entirely Native features except for gray eyes. They stand out against the olive skin, and many people in Connecticut mistake me for either half Asian or maybe someone with Italian ancestry.
For anyone on here who has taken a genetic test knows, we as humans, europeans etc are extremely diverse.
If you read history books, through out time especially in times of Empire humans have mixed like crazy.
Genetics as a science is opening so many doors its unbelievable. I come from the haplogroup I1a - some say its nordic some say its jewish etc etc etc. others say R1a is nordic, what is funny is R1 comes from central ASIA! so once again mass migration.
The point of the story is whites are white whether from the far east or west, next of kin are the asians.
regardless, we as whites need unity, but more so we need to uphold intelligence, community and achievements that is what has taken us this far.
nature will conjoin us and separate us in due time. (That includes Human nature)
Canada has a historic mixed race population. The Metis are a race of half-white half-aboriginal, who date back to miscegnation between early explorers and aboriginals more than two centuries ago.
Much to their credit, they seek recognition for their bi-racial community. Rather than try to undermine the white race or the full-blooded North American Indian race, they self-identify as a third entity.
I am 1/32 Cherokee which translates to around 3% Native American ancestry for me. The rest is 97% European. I had a genetic test in 2003 which confirmed the family tradition that we had a small amount of Indian ancestry. I am a redhead, have pale skin with freckles, and a red beard. I also have ice blue eyes. You could almost plop me down in Europe anywhere and I could conceivably fit in unless I opened my mouth. In the 2010 Census I will simply list myself as a White Caucasian.
Another southerner here who supposedly has an indian ancestor (cherokee), it’s quite literally impossible to tell by looking at me.
I highly doubt multiracial people are growing as the fastest group (as stated earlier, there was an article just last year that showed multiracial growth was slowing, if not grinding to a halt). Also, people need to remember that there are quite a few whites that might identify as ‘hispanic.’ Namely argentinians and other whites that came from latin american countries.
After all, what’s the point in identifying as white when you can get away with identifying as an ethnic group that gets special economic priviledges. If I was a company owner trying to win a city contract and thought I could get it by claiming to be a minority owned business, I’d do it in a heartbeat.
On a side note, Hispanic is not a racial category and it’s used in this article to skew the actual number of mulattos, coconuts and bananas. There are plenty of Hispanics of European ancestry out there regardless of the Latin American country of origin. This article is misleading just like most leftist articles you read like the one about 70% of Whites having black friends. These black “friends” include people they don’t socialize with after working hours and the token neighbor whom they can’t recall their last name.
“I am 1/32 Cherokee which translates to around 3% Native American ancestry for me. The rest is 97% European. I had a genetic test in 2003 which confirmed the family tradition that we had a small amount of Indian ancestry. I am a redhead, have pale skin with freckles, and a red beard. I also have ice blue eyes. You could almost plop me down in Europe anywhere and I could conceivably fit in unless I opened my mouth. In the 2010 Census I will simply list myself as a White Caucasian.”
Anonymous at 7:39PM on May 29,
I read the same information, in another publication, stating that fewer people were identifying as multiracial, so yes, I agree, it is propaganda. If you had some college, don’t you remember how your history, philosophy, or political science professor warned you about not believing everything, simply because it is printed somewhere? Also taught, was the importance of reading “between the lines”, for example, who wrote the article, what philosophy drives the publication, etc. I remember a quote, I think, from Plato,”It takes all of our knowledge to arrive at the truth.”
Actually I think people should wait until a significant number of foolish whites have intermarried with Hispanics or Indians, Arabs, South Asians, Filipinos, Blacks etc. and then fling the race and IQ goodies across the aisle to them. Just for spite.
“I do see many white males in their teens and twenties here with Mexican, Asian, and black females. […]
The cultural diversity teaching really took hold and whites particularly have embraced it.
White couples are increasingly becoming a minority-here anyway.”
@William Cutting
I have heard a story of white parents who had a black child. Come to find out the mother was an octaroon or something. A genetic throwback.
I have also seen a story where two mulatto parents had a set of twins, one black, one white. This was in the UK.
I also agree with Mike—I look white and act white, and I’m pro-white (which should not be taken to mean anti-[name race here]). I married white. My husband, as far as I know, is pretty much completely Anglo-Saxon-Celtic. I’m half Eastern European (Polish/Russian mix), something like 47% Anglo, 3% Cherokee. Which makes our son mostly Anglo.
That all having been said, I’m against race-mixing. I always took it for granted I’d marry white—no one ever said don’t marry black or whatever other race, and I never had the desire to.
I also hear that mixed marriages (or relationships) tend to result in more miscarriages. I know of a white person whose aunt married black, and she keeps miscarrying.
“Canada has a historic mixed race population. The Metis are a race of half-white half-aboriginal.. Rather than try to undermine the white race or the full-blooded North American Indian race, they self-identify as a third entity.”
As are the Coloureds in South Africa, and (at least formerly) in the British West Indies.
I was in New York City recently and did not see that many interracial couples. I saw one white woman with mulatto children in the subway. The few others I saw were of couples of undetermined race. Does that count? I think we are more concerned here with white and hispanic or black partners. Like I said…very, very few of those were in evidence on the street. I think much of that article is wishful thinking on the part of the AP writer.
As i have stated here in many times in the past, i am about 3 per cent Native American Indian (along with Irish, Jewish and Italian ancestry,) and consider myself to be white.
And i would like to hope that my AR brothers and sisters see me as such.
Where I reside in Queen Anne’s County, MD, many white young women, usually rednecky and unattractive, carry on with black males. Often you can see these wretches in the supermarkets with their mulatto babies, usually with no black husband or boyfriend. One can only shakes one’s head at the lack of self-respect. On top of that, these white women will never be able to attract white males to marry them. They are permanently scarred. Basically, they are just sexual conquests for black men- how can you have self-respect if you have fallen so far.
The town of Grasonville is where black meets white trash and the results are not pretty.
Jeez, how many Amren readers / commenters have Native American blood? That’s actually kind of disheartening! Is there anyone on here like me who can claim pure white ancestry?
Xenophone, I absolutely see more mixed couples than I used to. In fact, I used to think that the AmRen posters who complained about mixed couples were worried about nothing, but I now I think their concerns are legitimate. In downtown Tacoma, Washington on Friday I saw a very attractive white woman sitting on a bench near the courthouse with a black man. As I drove past, I thought to myself, ‘she thinks she’s going to be the mother of the next Obama, but I’ll bet she’s either dead or beaten up by that guy within two years.’
Xenophon:
I would like to beleive you, but as someone who has lived in NYC for years and just moved last month I can tell you that there are a lot of interracial couples in the big apple. The writer is correct.
The only wishful thinking I have is that is was not the case.
Xenophon wrote: “I was in New York City recently and did not see that many interracial couples.”
Nor do I, and I live here. It’s no more so now than it was 20-30 years ago. Maybe it’s less. It isn’t “fashionable” now. The young and avant-guard like to be defiant and bring down barriers. Now there are no barriers to defy. It’s been done already, not trendy anymore.
But what really astonishes me is when I visit other parts of the country - particularly the South, places like Texas! — and see all the casual miscegenation going on there. This would have caused a riot not that long ago; now it doesn’t seem to get a blink. I am old enough to remember segregation. The complete reversal of attitudes within a generation is amazing to behold - testimony to the immense power of propaganda, reinforced by social and government pressure.
“I do see many white males in their teens and twenties here with Mexican, Asian, and black females. Some of the middle aged and older males are following that trend. Some young white females are with other races, but I know several white women who want, but have alot of trouble finding single white males because they are in relationships with Mexican, asian or black females or they’ve paid for a woman to come over from another country causing a shortage of white males for white females. “
I’m a young white male and I can tell you I’d love a pretty, attractive, and intelligent white woman. the problem is that a majority of them play mindgames or they are liberal drones or they are into dating guys with tattoos and their pants hanging down their butts.
Those of you who say you do not see any interracial couples in the northeast are obviously in denial.
27 — Rudy wrote at 9:33 AM on June 1:
“As i have stated here in many times in the past, i am about 3 per cent Native American Indian (along with Irish, Jewish and Italian ancestry,) and consider myself to be white.
And i would like to hope that my AR brothers and sisters see me as such.”
Do I detect an identity crisis? Ask yourself, Rudy: Do you think you’re distant Italian and Jewish ancestors considered themselves to be ‘whites’? My hunch is that they probably didn’t. Why do you prefer to identify as ‘white’ today?
See, this is one of the big problems I have with this organization. Why would someone like the above poster even want to consider themselves ‘white’? Is whiteness some sort of expanded ‘club’ that people can voluntarily join based on the possession of ‘mostly European ancestry’?
My old-stock Northern European ancestors in America might have casually desribed themselves as ‘white’ from time to time, but this was never supposed to be some sort of all-inclusive Euro-identity.
Does ‘whiteness’ represent a breakdown in the traditional ethnocultural divisions that Europeans have historically clung to and identified with? (i.e., the Germanic, Celtic, Slavic, Romance, Uralic, etc., along with all of the internal racial variation that went with such narrower distinctions)
I dont beleive so many US-whites have partial amerindian genetical heritage. It has become trendy to say so. Well for me it is not trendy to claim such based on no hard facts. By hard facts I mean photos or some written evidence. It is somewhat ridicious to claim that you must be of 1/32 cherokee because you have grey or whatever eyes…
I also wouldnt regard genetical analysis as hard evidence in determining whether a white looking person has some 1/32 cherokee. There is strong evidence that amerindians are descendants of ice-age east asians and europeans. There was more than a time in the past, during ice ages when passable bridges existed both between europe and north america and between north americe and asia.
Please excuse for the bad spelling.
Best Regards
Thrasymachus wrote at 7:56 PM on May 29: Interracial marriage is and always has been a moral question.
I agree. Trading genes with potential or actual adversaries is likely to hurt one’s kin. Just think of Obama: he would have the same chances to become the U.S. President as Jesse Jackson should his both parents be black.
I also wouldnt regard genetical analysis as hard evidence in determining whether a white looking person has some 1/32 cherokee. There is strong evidence that amerindians are descendants of ice-age east asians and europeans.
That may or may not be true, but American Indians certainly have more Caucasian-like features than Asians or even other native peoples like the Eskimos. A strong black (or even Asian) strain in a white person can be easily distinguished, yet the same amount of Indian blood can simply blend in.
I knew two 50/50 white/Indian mixes in college, one of whom had entirely white features but with a “tanned” complexion, and another who was racially more ambiguous, looking more Semitic than anything else. I highly doubt that anything less than 1/4 Indian contribution would leave much visible trace, as typically Indian features are simply not distinct enough to stand out among normal white variation.
I highly doubt that anything less than 1/4 Indian contribution would leave much visible trace, as typically Indian features are simply not distinct enough to stand out among normal white variation.
Whites with confirmed Amerindian admixture:
http://tinyurl.com/o9agd4
http://tinyurl.com/7qlzwx
The latter looks almost entirely Irish-like, with dark hair and very light skin.
