Brooke
AGA Blogger
Reged: Jun 23 2006
Posts: 466
Loc: Pennsylvania
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My community is 96% white, .43% african american, .09% Native American, 1.15% asian, .28% from other races, 1.08% from two or more races and .83% hispanic. Harrisburg PA, which is the closest "city" to me, is 31.72% White, 54.83% African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.83% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 6.54% from other races, and 3.64% from two or more races. 11.69% Hispanic (according to Wikipedia).
Secondly, do you think racial diversity in communities is important?
And lastly, what can I do, or what have you done when you have heard people say things that are racist or elitest around you?
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Heather
Be-Musing Momma
Reged: Feb 05 2006
Posts: 721
Loc: Seattle, WA
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Nice topic!
Using the Wiki census info, where I now live in Seattle, "The racial makeup of the city was 70.09% White, 8.44% African American, 13.12% Asian, 1.00% Native American, 0.50% Pacific Islander, 2.38% from other races, and 4.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.28% of the population.[31] Seattle has seen a major increase in legal and illegal immigration in recent decades. The foreign-born population increased 40% between the 1990 and 2000 censuses.[32] Hispanics are believed to be the most rapidly growing ethnic group in Washington, with an estimated increase of 10% just from 2000 to 2002, though they have tended to settle outside the city, in rural areas where agricultural jobs are abundant.[33] The percentage of Seattleites who identify as gay or lesbian is estimated to be 12.9 percent, the second highest among the fifty largest cities in the U.S., behind San Francisco."
In Minneapolis, where I last lived, the breakdown was similar (albeit with a substantially higher NA population and a substantially higher number of immigrants -- Mpls has some really awesome refugee programs). Compare this to where I spent most of my life in Chicago: "The racial makeup of the city was 36.39% Black or African American, 31.32% White, 26.02% Hispanic or Latino, 4.33% Asian and Pacific Islander, 1.64% from two or more races, 0.15% Native American, and 0.15% from other races."
That's what I grew up used to, and I have to confess that living in other cities that aren't that well-balanced per race and ethnicity never quite feels right to me: there's a certain comfort level I have per diversity and there really being no racial majority that I learned very early in life in Chicago that I just can't shake. When I first moved to Minnesota, it really freaked me out living in such a white city.
So, I know it's important to me -- heck, if a city that is 70% white feels uncomfortable (which is really saying something, given I'm not of color), I earnestly can't imagine being in one with that 96% demographic. That's got to be intense, and I think I'd feel like I'd moved to a different planet.
I have to say, I don't have to deal with anyone making a lot of racist or elitist (though elitism is a class issue, so that's moving into another arena, really) comments to me: it's a pretty infrequent occurrence. With people I don't know at least somewhat, I generally just tend to walk away or issue an "Oh, ugh," or some such. People closer to me, I just have always tried to get a soft in per asking if they think that X thing they've just said is racist or elitist, and based on their response, try to explain why I'd consider it so. But more times than not, anyone close to me who does make a comment in that vein is well-versed enough that they catch their own racism or elitism before I have to say anything.
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If I had to characterize one quality as the genius of feminist thought, culture, and action, it would be the connectivity. - Robin Morgan
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DrK
Wordsmithsta
Reged: Jun 22 2006
Posts: 94
Loc: AL, USA
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wikipedia says this about my town during the last census:
"The racial makeup of the city was 64.47% White, 30.21% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 2.22% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.66% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. 2.04% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race."
of course racial diversity means a lot! The more diversity in our communities, the less casual ignorance people have about other races and ethnicities! (Plus, it's just a lot more fun to be in a multiculti mix, imo). That's just a nutshell, but I think diversity is of paramount importance to communities.
How about try education when someone says something intolerant? Or ask question? How many [folks in question] do you know? Is [x celebrity or politician] like that? If it's dangerous to register displeasure this way, why not just leave the room or the group of people having a racist discussion? I've left plenty of homophobic and misogynist discussions where I knew education wasn't going to work.
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Contre tout le monde, je me defendrai...je suis le dernier homme, je le resterai jusqu'au bout! Je ne capitule pas!- Ionesco, Le Rhinoceros
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rhi
Reged: Jul 07 2006
Posts: 165
Loc: England
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Hum. Tough one.
Leicester (my home city) is the most diverse place in the UK. The majority of the people there are "non white". There's a big Somali community, Indian, Pakistani, Arab, Ugandan. It really is amazing and a wonderful place to be.
Glen, the village where I live, is 99.9% white.
Oxford university isn't that diverse. It does pretty well, considering, and takes half of all "black" students who get 3As at A Level (remember, not all of them apply) but the proportion of black students is till woefully small. Same with other minority groups, though some are better represented than others.
Cowley, where I live, is again wonderfully diverse. Crazy mix of languages and stores and everything on the street outside my door. Jamaican, Polish, Italian, Chinese, Arabic...myriad doesn't cover it. There's a Bangladeshi place up the street I mean to visit one day soon, but it's always very very busy.
So, depending on which is my community, really depends on my answer.
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Did you cover your eyes when they told you that he can't come back
Cos he has no children to come back for
G. Michael
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DrK
Wordsmithsta
Reged: Jun 22 2006
Posts: 94
Loc: AL, USA
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rhi- I really like how you point out that you take part in a number of communities that might all have different racial and ethnic mixes. It applies to us all, really- the stats I quoted above show my town as 60% white, whereas the university I teach at is probably over 90% white, as there is a historically African American university up the road, which is over 90% the other way. Nor do the stats show the woeful (to my eyes) segregation that persists here.
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Contre tout le monde, je me defendrai...je suis le dernier homme, je le resterai jusqu'au bout! Je ne capitule pas!- Ionesco, Le Rhinoceros
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Brooke
AGA Blogger
Reged: Jun 23 2006
Posts: 466
Loc: Pennsylvania
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Segregation definitely occurs here as well. to start with, people who live in my area will not travel to Harrisburg very often because its considered a minority dominated area. At the community college I went to there, most of the students were white, even though with-in the city limits the vast majority of people are non-white. I also encountered segregation in my high school in the town I grew up in, where the population was around 50/50 between whites and minorities. Most of the people in my classes, which were advanced, were white, while most of the students in the basic classes were either black or Hispanic.
BTW, has anyone else ever noticed they don't have a racial category for people who are Arab or middle eastern?
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Elizabeth
AGA Blogger
Reged: Jan 23 2007
Posts: 50
Loc: Seattle, WA, USA
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Hm this is interesting.
Okay the community I live in now which is an island right outside of Seattle, Bainbridge Island:
The racial makeup of the city was 92.88% White, 0.28% African American, 0.62% Native American, 2.40% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 0.75% from other races, and 2.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.17% of the population.
And now the city I use to live in, In Missouri City, TX:
The racial makeup of the city was 44.29% White, 38.35% African American, 0.20% Native American, 10.60% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.46% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.88% of the population.
Huge difference overall in the two cities.
I think racial diversity is really important. Living up here on Bainbridge I really realize how important it is. The people here when they see an African American they stare they treat them differently and its just sad. Where as where I was in TX we were pretty diverse and no one really noticed anything different or acted different around someone with a different color skin than you.
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E.Rockett
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Jenny
Be-Musing Momma
Reged: Jun 12 2006
Posts: 225
Loc: Minnesota
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I currently live in St. Paul, the sister city of Minneapolis.
In 2000, the racial makeup of the city was 67.02% White, 11.71% African American, 1.13% Native American, 12.36% Asian (mostly Hmong and Vietnamese), 0.07% Pacific Islander, 3.84% from other races, and 3.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race (incl. white) were 7.91% of the population. Saint Paul has one of the world's largest contingents of urban Hmong populations.
Like Heather, I found the Twin Cities to be very white compared to my previous city, Washington, DC, which was 35% white in 2000. Both cities, however, are very segregated, though I live much closer to the "line" now than I did in DC.
That said, I was born and raised in a South Florida suburb that was 94% white, though the city it adjoined was 58% white, including hispanics/latinos (the term used by the census). Wide-spread busing in the early grades meant that the elementary schools were largely integrated, while the middle schools and high schools were not, and my district was sued on those grounds when I was a kid.
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No matter what your fight, don’t be ladylike! God Almighty made women and the Rockefeller gang of thieves made the ladies. ~Mother Jones
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Charlotta
AGA Blogger
Reged: Jun 25 2006
Posts: 82
Loc: New York
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Hm I really like this topic! It's hard for me, because I have really come to claim the community where I attend university as a home, as well as where I currently live, and NYC, where I grow up. Each one is so different...and the racial dynamics in each community are really divergent too.
The town where I go to school now is: 10,344 people and the racial breakdown is as follows: 1.81% White, 4.49% Black or African American, 0.54% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 1.02% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population.
But the school I go to is overwhelmingly white. I think there are approx. 10% students of color, including our international student population. The community is pretty rural, and there have definitely been racial tensions between the different races. I think that primarily the conflict is between African-American/black and white members of the community. The black population isn't huge, and most people don't have much interaction with those of other races, and I think that def. shapes how the races work together.
The town I live in has 32,000 people, and the racial breakdown is: 94.89% White, 1.22% African American, 0.14% Native American, 2.49% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.43% of the population.. I think the town i live in could be considered relatively affluent, and there just aren't really any African-American people living there. It's really awful...I think there are maybe two or three African-American families living in my neighborhood? And in school, with a graduating class of almost 700, we had no more than 10-15 African-American students.
Growing up in NYC, i had no choice but to implicitly understand and accept racial diversity, it was part of the landscape of living. Moving from there to another place has helped me realize how blessed I was to have that experience at all.
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small hands can still shatter glass.
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Dylan
AGA Blogger
Reged: Jan 26 2007
Posts: 52
Loc: MI
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What a great post. I was just checking this out with some of my friends the other night, comparing Boston to our home towns. Checking out these stats, no wonder I am happier in Boston. I no longer live in a bubble!
Boston would fall within the top 10 largest cities in the United States. According to the census, the racial makeup of the city was 54.47% White, 25.33% Black or African American, 0.40% Native American, 7.52% Asian American, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 7.83% from other races, and 4.39% from two or more races. 14.44% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
[I wonder if this counts college students? I *think* only home owners and renters participate in a census; so effectively, all residents of college dorms would be left out.]
My hometown in Northern NJ, just outside NYC.
The racial makeup of the borough was 94.76% White, 0.78% African American, 0.06% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.70% from other races, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.87% of the population.
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LenaK
AGA Blogger
Reged: Jun 21 2006
Posts: 39
Loc: Northern Germany
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I'm originally from the DC suburbs in an area that has been increasingly diverse for the past almost 40 years or so. Instead of listing statistics for the location, I'll give the statistics from 2003-04 from an elementary school I attended: 15.16% Asian Or Pacific Islander, 7.04% Black (Not Of Hispanic Origin), 50.84% Hispanic, 22.79% White, and 4.18 Other. Almost 60% of students had free or reduced lunch.
It was a wonderful place with a big "We are the world" feel. We'd sing this at assemblies, for real. I'd stay that the different groups of students were pretty well-integrated, making it almost utopic in a way. (Although there was certainly gang presence in the community.) My little brother was the only blonde kid in his class; in a way I had reverse-Barbie-syndrome, wishing I were Latina and spoke Spanish. We didn't play rock-paper-scissors, we played kae-bae-bo. Changing schools was a shock in terms of noticing lack of diversity, but thankfully it increased again in high school. I think diversity is so important, but as a white person, it's something I can "choose" to deal with versus being personally confronted with its negative stereotyping. (For a lack of better wording.) I think socio-economic diversity is also very important. In a place like that, there isn't much tolerance for racist remarks.
I live in a Berlin neighborhood with a reputation for being a working class neighborhood with a very high percentage of immigrants (mostly Muslim.) I love it here and feel absolutely at home; I don't think it deserves the bad rap its given. However, I can see how it's an at-risk area with <b>35%</b> long-term unemployment and a similar number of school drop-outs. I definitely occasionally overhear xenophobic or racist remarks from people (older generation and/or frustrated youth) here, although not so much in the neighborhood. I try to call them out on it, and would absolutely stand up in a confrontation, although I myself am sort of a target, be it not outwardly noticeable.
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anon
Reged: Jul 22 2006
Posts: 115
Loc: NYC
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My city is one of the most diverse in the country.
At the time of the last census:
- Around 3.6 million of approximately 8 million people were white. (45%)
- Just over 2.1 million were black. (26.25%)
- 41,000 were Native American. (.5%)
- 790,000 were Asian. (9.8%)
- Just under 2.2 million were Hispanic. (27%)
- 3 million were immigrants. (37.5%)
- Almost half the city spoke a language other than English at home.
- Almost 2 million were in some way disabled.
In almost every category not in the majority, our rates of diversity are much higher than they are in the United States as a whole. This has certainly led to more exposure to different cultures and ideas, and I think most of us are the better off for it.
Racial diversity is important, but I would argue that racial diversity in and of itself does not necessarily help anyone. You need other sorts of diversity, too, for people to really be socially aware.
My specific commmunities, in terms of race(ish)? Some are Orthodox Jewish, some are Hassidic Jewish, some are Polish, some are Hispanic, and some are a huge mixing pot.
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I somehow doubt we'll ever be the same--there's too much poison and confusion on your face
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