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American neighborhoods becoming more racially diverse
December 20th, 2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
America's neighborhoods are becoming much more racially diverse and integrated - although some disparities remain and much work remains to be done. Segregation in many parts of the U.S. persists, with Hispanics in particular turning away from whites.
LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Segregation among blacks and whites increased in one-fourth of the nation\'s 100 largest metropolitan areas, compared to nearly one-half for Hispanics. These latest figures reflect new generations of middle-class blacks moving to upwardly mobile, on-the-move cities. William H. Frey, a demographer at Brookings Institution who reviewed the census data, says that \"In contrast, the faster national growth of Hispanics has led to increased neighborhood segregation."
While Census data says otherwise, the U.S. in many ways remains divided by race and economic lines. John Logan, a sociologist at Brown University who has studied residential segregation says that \"Whites are still on average a large majority in the places where they live, and blacks and Hispanics are the majority or near-majority in their neighborhoods.
\"They suggest that all the talk about a post-racial society means nothing at the level of neighborhood.\"
Economically, in 21 counties more than 1 in 3 people lived in poverty, many of them living in American Indian reservations in the High Plains. Amid swirling congressional debate over taxing the wealthy, three localities in Virginia had median household income of more than $100,000 - Falls Church, and Fairfax and Loudoun counties.
These demographics hint at the upcoming political and legal wrangling over the 2010 census figures, to be published beginning next week. The data will be used to reallocate congressional districts, drawing new political boundaries.
New Hispanic-dominated districts could emerge, particularly for elected positions at the state and local level. States are required under the Voting Rights Act to respect the interests of minority voting blocs, which tend to support Democratic candidates.
The average white person now lives in a neighborhood that is 79 percent white, compared to 81 percent in 2000. The average black person lives in a 46 percent black neighborhood, down from 49 percent. For Hispanics, however, their average neighborhood last year was 45 percent Hispanic, up slightly from 44 percent.