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Racial and Ethnic Groups in the US Who are they?
Racial and Ethnic Groups in
the US
Who are they?
Racial and Ethnic Groups
Race Relations in the US
- There is a great psychological and cultural conflict faced by those living in the US. It deals with how people of different groups can coexist and flourish in the same society.
“An American Dilemma”
- a gap exists between what Americans claim to believe and how they actually behave.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsRace Relations in the US
“American Dilemma” (con’t)
Example: Expressing support for freedom, equality, and dignity of the individual
But having actions that do not always support this ideal.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsActions like:
Moving the Native Americans
Enslaving Africans
Internment of Japanese Americans
Segregation of African Americans
Racial and Ethnic GroupsRace Relations in the US
When the English settlers arrived and established their dominance over the other groups, they provided a model for the other groups of what they needed to become.
Which was? WASPS
(White Anglo-Saxon Protestants)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsRace Relations in the US
In general, minority groups that have prospered have adapted more quickly to the WASP image, than other groups.
Those who can adapt quicker are accepted into mainstream American society.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsRace Relations in the US
To prove the point:
Immigrants from protestant dominated countries, like Sweden, the Netherlands, and Germany were able to gain dominate status within one generation of being in the US
Other groups, like African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, Native Americans, and white ethnics have had harder times.
VS.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
Facts about:
- Account for 12.9% of the population. (37.1 million)
- 2nd largest minority group in the United States.
With the exception of women and Native Americans, no other group has suffered a longer history of prejudice and discrimination in the US.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
History of:
1) Initially brought over as slave labor by Europeans to work in America. (1619- 1807)
2) Were a major reason for the Civil War between the North and South in the 1860’s.
3) Freed from slavery by the 13th Amendment in 1865.
4) Subject of discrimination/ segregation from 1870’s to 1960’s (treated as 2nd class citizens)
5) Gained equal rights in 1964, have worked to overcome these initial setbacks since then to gain equality.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
Today in the US: (where are they living)
55% live in the South.
88% live in cities.
NYC largest population (2 mil)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
General Info:
- African Americans have higher mortality rates than the rest of the population.
- Average life expectancy at birth was 71.3 years for blacks and 77.3 years for whites (factors: HIV/ AIDS, homicide rates, higher infant mortality)
- African Americans are younger than the general population. In 2000, almost one third (32%) are under age 18, compared with 26 percent of the general population
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
Gains since 1960’s:
- The percentage completing high school only a few points below whites.
- 25% of employed African Americans now hold managerial positions, vs. 35% for whites
- 41% of African Americans have a middle class income.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
More alarming statistics since 1960’s:
- The percentage of African Americans completing 4 or more years of college is about ½ of whites.
Affirmative Action question?
- African American income is 2/3rd that of whites.
- The percentage of African Americans below the poverty line is 3x’s that of whites (1/3 of African American children live in poverty)
- Unemployment rate of African Americans in 2x’s that of whites.
** This should represent a serious social problem to everyone.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
To gain equality in American society will take time, after all African Americans are trying to overcome over 300 years of inequality in the United States.
Since 1965- the number of black holding public office has increased from 200 to 9,000
Some have even reached to positions:
- Rod Paige (Secretary of Education)
- Colin Powell (former Secretary of State)
- Condoleeza Rice (current Secretary of State)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAfrican Americans in the US
These are the exceptions not the norm. In many areas of society African Americans are under represented.
In Congress: 42 Representatives 1 Senator
In College coaching: Only 5 head football coaches out of 117 Division 1 schools.
In the NFL: 4 of 32 teams
*These numbers are trends in many professions and positions in the country.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Facts about:
-Account for 13.3% of the population (41 million)
-Largest minority group in the United States
-58% increase in population in last 10 years.
(largest growing minority group as well)
At the current rate of growth:
1 out of every 4 Americans will be Hispanic by 2050.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
What does it mean to be Hispanic?
- does not involve a certain racial category
- It refers to a person who is from a Spanish speaking country or their descendants.
Where are they from?
1: Mexico – 65.2%
2: Central and South America – 14.3%
3: Puerto Rican – 9.6%
4: Cuban – 4.3%
5: Other – 6.6%
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Where do Hispanics live?
Over ½ live in just 2 states (CA and TX)
Approx. 91% live in cities
CHI and NYC have highest concentrations of Puerto Ricans.
MIA - Cubans
New Mexico has highest concentration (42%)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
History of:
- Explored much of the Americas and colonized much of the New World, including the United States. (Spain)
- Started entering the United States from Mexico with attempts to convert the Indians in the Southwest to Catholicism.
- Driven out by the Texans in the 1850’s.
- Began large migrations to the United States again the 1970’s- 1980’s to find work and escape from situations in their home countries.
- 1990’s to today- saw an influx of Hispanics legally and illegally entering the US in large numbers
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Immigration:
-200,000 legally admitted to the US last year.
-Estimated 500,000-700,000 illegally entered the US last year.
Why are they coming?
- Jobs (migrant work, work for less $)
- Family
- Escape situation
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
General Info:
- Spanish is the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the US (10.5% of population)
many communities require teachers/ workers to be able to speak Spanish, b/c of high Hispanic populations in those areas.
There is a current debate in the US about making English the official language. Does this go against what we are as a country or is it a good idea?
-Highest fertility rate of any group in the US.
-Highest teenage pregnancy rate.
- 35% of population was under the age of 18.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Social Trends/ Problems
In 2000, almost one in four working-age employed Hispanics had incomes less than $15,000, while about 10 percent of non-Hispanic whites fell into this income category.
•21% of Hispanics live in poverty
• Hispanics had the highest labor force participation rates (68% for persons 16 and over). (mainly service jobs)
• Only 14% of Hispanics were employed as managers or professionals compared with 33% of non-Hispanic whites and 22% of blacks
• 43% of Hispanics aged 25 or more did not have a high school diploma, vs. only 12% for whites.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Trends/ Problems con’t
The majority of Hispanics are Catholic.
Hispanics are less likely to vote than any other group.
(only 7% in 2000)
Median age for Hispanics was 26 yrs old (9 yrs younger than total population)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsHispanic Americans in the US
Stereotypes of Hispanics in the US1: Hispanics are "foreign." People, for example,
often consider Spanish surnames (and certainly given names) to be somehow "not American,"
Many US cities have Hispanic names and origins.
2: Hispanics have just recently come to the United States.
The oldest American cities are Hispanic in origin- St. Augustine (1565), Santa Fe (1610)
3: Hispanics either do not speak English, or have learned it rather recently.
Many Hispanics speak only English and do not know Spanish.
4: Most Hispanics live in rural areas.
Most live in cities (90%)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
Facts about:
- Account for 4.3% of the population. (3rd largest minority group)
- Growth rate for Asian population is increasing, expected to represent 9% of population by 2050.
- The term “Asian” represents many different backgrounds and cultures in different countries.
Largest Groups of Asians:
1: Chinese – 23%
2: Filipino – 18%
3: Asian Indian –16%
4: Korean – 11%
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
Where do they live?
Almost 66% of all Asian Americans live in just five states:
California (12.1% of the state population)
New York (5.6%) Hawaii (63.6%)Texas (2.9%)Illinois (3.4%).
Racial and Ethnic Groups
Metropolitan AreaAsian American
Population% of Total
Population
Los Angeles 1,799,000 11.4%
New York 1,343,000 6.7%
San Francisco 1,279,000 18.8%
Honolulu 566,000 64.9%
Washington DC-Baltimore
373,000 5.1%
Chicago 367,000 4.2%
Asian Americans in the US
Where do they live? (con’t)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
Where do they live?
-- Asians tend to live in tight ethnic communities in cities. (“Chinatowns”, “Koreantowns”)
Why?
- Allows them to adapt better to American culture as a group.
- Allows them to maintain their own cultural identity without losing it to the dominant culture.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
History of:
1: 1st wave began in the 1850’s, when Chinese workers came to CA to work in Gold mines and build railroads.
2: In 1882, in response to a slowing economy, the US passed the Chinese Exclusion Act, which ended Chinese immigration until 1940.
3: The 2nd wave was in 1890 when Japanese immigrants came over for work, but had quotas set in 1924 to control Asian immigration (set to nearly zero) and were “interned” during WWII
4: Filipinos were allowed to immigrate, b/c they were a US owned territory.
5: The 3rd wave started in 1950’s with the extension of quotas allowing for a larger flow of Asians to the US. They now account for 35% of immigration today.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
General info:
- Considered the “model minority”, b/c of their ability to adapt to American society. (does not distinguish the different groups of Asians)
- Have the highest percentage of any group to complete 4 or more years of college. (44% compared to 26% for whites)
- Have a higher average income than any other group in the US, including whites. ($59,000, $13,000 more than entire population)
- Lowest fertility rate of all minority groups.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
Asian Indians have the highest proportion in the "Computer, Scientific, & Engineering" occupations. Chinese and Japanese share the highest proportion among all groups in the "Legal and Financial Services" occupations. Filipinos have the highest proportion of those in the "Medical/Healthcare Professionals" categories Japanese have the highest proportion in the "Education, Media, & Community Services" occupations.
General info:
**Asians/Pacific Islanders had a higher rate of employed persons in managerial and professional specialty positions than the total population, nearly 40 percent compared to 30 percent. Additionally, only 3.9 percent of Asians/Pacific Islanders were unemployed in 1999, compared to the national total of 4.4 percent.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsAsian Americans in the US
McDonalds' Happy Meals now come with Hello Kitty toys, Levi's uses karaoke to sell jeans, Budweiser modifies its "Whasssuuup?!" campaign into "Wasssaaabi!," a Mountain Dew commercial does a spoof of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and of course, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon itself wins four Oscars and becomes the highest-grossing foreign film ever in the U.S.
If you look closer, you also see that Chinese takeout restaurants in almost every city in the U.S., even in the smallest remote towns
Feng shui is increasingly being used in planning new buildings everywhere and even for weddings. Zen Buddhism is still considered chic and cool. Acupuncture is now covered by most health insurance plans.
Multimedia creations from or inspired by Asia are the latest rage among kids -- Yu-Gi-Oh, Pokemon, Digimon, Dragon Ball Z, Nintendo, Sega, Playstation, and Final Fantasy video games
“Asianization”of America
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
Facts about:
- Account for 0.9% of the population (1.5 million)
- Only minority group that once composed 100% of the US population (decline of 99.1% in 400yrs)
- The Census Bureau projects that the AIAN-only (American Indian or Alaskan Native)
population will grow by 40 percent from 2000 to 2025 to reach nearly 3.5 million.
*** Originally Native Americans numbered around 12-18 million, by 1900 they only numbered 276,000
-- almost were an extinct race/ ethnic group
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
Where do they live? Sixty Percent(60 %) of American Indians and Alaska Natives lived in the Southwest
One-quarter of the total population lived in either California (630,000) or Oklahoma (390,000).
Los Angeles County, CA was the county with the largest number of American Indians. (140,000)
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
Where do they live?
Initially, most American Indians were placed on reservations by the white population. Currently 540,000 American Indians on reservations today (28% percent).
What are reservations?
They are special villages and lands which are under Indian jurisdiction, and therefore have some different laws than the rest of the state or province. For example, on many Indian reservations, alcohol is illegal. On some gambling is legal. Tax laws are different, etc.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
Who are they?
There are 563 Federally recognized tribal governments in the United States. The United States recognizes the right of these tribes to self-government and supports their tribal sovereignty and self-determination.
Cherokee, 730,000 Navajo, 298,000 Latin American Indian, 181,000Choctaw, 159,000 Sioux, 153,000 Chippewa, 150,000
The Largest Tribes:
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
History of:
1: American Indians settled in the US over 10,000 years ago. These settlers broke into different groups and lived off of the land for thousands of years and developed distinct cultural practices.
2: Millions of natives were killed during the period of colonization (1400-1700) due to the contraction of diseases, war with colonists, and enslavement.
3: With westward expansion, the Indians were displaced by measures like the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the Trail of Tears and forced to live in reservations in the far west.
4: Thousands of Natives were killed in the Indian Wars versus the US Army, almost leading to their extinction.
5: Thousands of American Indians have struggled to survive in a society that goes against their culture and wants to force assimilation on them.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans today:
-The poverty rate for American Indians and Alaska Natives was 24.5 percent, same as African Americans.
-71% of those over age 25 in 2000 had earned a high school diploma; 11% had attained a bachelor’s degree.
-American Indians and Alaska Natives live almost eight years less than the general U.S. population. In 2002, their life expectancy was 71.1 years, compared to 78.9 years for the general population.
-The total fertility rate for AIAN women was 2.1 in 2000, equivalent to the national average
Racial and Ethnic GroupsNative Americans in the United States
Social Problems:
1: The leading cause of death for American Indians and Alaskan Natives is heart disease and cancer. With liver disease and suicide having much higher rates in these communities than compared to the general population.
2: Of the 563 recognized AIAN tribes, 201 are involved in "gaming," meaning that they sponsor gambling activities in a total of 330 different locales. In 2002, the revenue from tribal gaming was $14.5 billion. Tribal gaming began in the late 1970s with bingo games, and has continued to expand since the passage of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988
Racial and Ethnic GroupsWhite Ethnics in the United States
Who are we talking about?
These are immigrants that came over in the 1800’s and 1900’s that were mainly Catholic and did not fit into the norm of being a WASP.
What countries are we talking about?
Ireland, France, Poland, Italy, and Greece.
White ethnics- are classified as Caucasian and do not specify country of origin on the census.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsWhite Ethnics in the United States
Where do they live?
-Many of these groups have assimilated today, but when they first came over as immigrants that lived together in tight ethic enclaves in the larger cities in the US.
-Ethnic neighborhoods became a staple of most American cities in the early 1900’s, which provided safe havens for persecuted ethnic groups and allowed for easier adaptation to American culture.
EX: Boston = predominantly Irish Catholic
NYC = many Italian and Greek areas.
Chicago = large Polish enclaves
Racial and Ethnic GroupsWhite Ethnics in the United States
What problems did they face in the US?
-they were subject many acts of discrimination at the hands of the American born Protestant majority.
-It was based on their cultural and economic concerns.
-Most white ethnics came to the US with little money and few skills, like not being able to speak English.
Types of discrimination included:
-Anti-Catholic riots
-Lynching of white ethnics who applied for jobs.
-Received only the lowest paying, least prestigious jobs.
Racial and Ethnic GroupsWhite Ethnics in the United States
Where are they today?
Most white ethnics have assimilated into American culture today and enjoy the benefits of being part of the dominant group in society.
Some long lasting effects:
Many white ethnic groups still carry stereotypes that were given to them by the Protestant majority and often they are still characterized as being poorly educated and poorly skilled. (Though the numbers show they are equally likely to be as educated as non-ethnic whites.)
