FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 21, 2012

Population turning point: Nonwhite parents account for more than half of recent U.S. births

Look for coverage of a minority group resident, worker or business executive in your community or elsewhere. Is race the main focus or not mentioned?

Now try to find an article reflecting cultural diversity – an example of food, entertainment or art that shows your area or state has people of many backgrounds.

Race and ethnicity can be sensitive topics. Is there a news story that reflects this, such as one about immigration policies or the Florida shooting of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin?

Whites remain a large majority overall. The last national Census counted more than 114 million Americans who are racial and ethnic minority group members, or 36.6 percent of the total population in 2010. Those groups currently make up a majority of residents in four states -– Hawaii (77 percent), California (60 percent), New Mexico (60 percent) and Texas (55 percent).

The trend toward greater minority births has been building for years as large numbers of immigrants arrived since the 1980s. Hispanics make up the majority of immigrants, and they tend to be younger -- and to have more children -- than non-Hispanic whites. Experts see the new data as an important turning point for the economy, politics and America's identity. "If the U.S. depended on white births alone, we’d be dead. Without the [income tax and Social Security] contributions from all these other groups, we would become too top-heavy with old people," notes Dowell Myers, a University of Southern California professor.

Blogger says: "It's official. The United States is officially 'tan.' " -– Marcia Dawkins, author and educator at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Professor says: "This is an important landmark. This generation is growing up much more accustomed to diversity than its elders." -- Roderick Harrison, sociologist at Howard University in Washington, D.C.

Population scholar says: "It's a major turning point for American society. We're moving from a largely white and black population to one which is much more diverse and is a big contrast from what most baby boomers grew up with." -– William Frey, Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C.

Front Page Talking Points Archive

►Population turning point: Nonwhite parents account for more than half of recent U.S. births

►Changing views on same-sex marriage, including Obama's, suggest faster pace of social change

►Does the 'tanning mom' have 'tanorexia'?

►1 in 2 new college graduates are jobless or underemployed

►In three months, the world's top amateur athletes compete at the Summer Olympics

►Earth Day on April 22 brings reminders of how we can protect the natural environment

►Titanic saga still has strong grip a century after the luxury liner sank on its first voyage

►'Bully' film sparks national dialogue with in-your-face reality of harmed students and families

►'Etch A Sketch' remark by Romney campaign aide draws an image that's hard to erase

►'Ladies and gentlemen, let the 74th Hunger Games begin' on screens this week

►Complete archive