My View of America - A county in transition by Tony Green

America then and now

I was raised in Philadelphia, as like many of the larger cities on the East Coast, was ethnically divided.  The various races, which included African-Americans, Latinos, Whites and Asians, who resided in close proximity, worked and attended school together but existed separately within their own communities.  After I joined the Navy after college many of my shipmates came from all over the country.  I discovered as Americans we had a lot more in common than I thought. Upon reflection, the America I grew up in before my enlistment and the America I returned to when I began my professional career was changing drastically.

Map of the United States of America

People are people

I realized several of the problems people had co-existing in peace resulted from an absence of culture sensitivity due to lack of exposure to people from different backgrounds than yourself.  People are people if they come together and get familiar with each other on a personal level. With that said, I am observing as a country we are moving toward being a more multi-cultural society.

Transition in Progress

The proof times are changing is clear, the year 2000 census provided choices for the first time for people to identify themselves as being a member of more than once race. The state of Hawaii’s minority population is greater than its non-minority and in California the Latino populace has matched the number of white residents and in a few years, will be like Hawaii, where the non-minority citizens will soon be the majority of inhabitants living in the state.

Conclusion

Our children will need to able to function in a more cultural and diverse world. How we prepare our children to navigate this changing landscape is in our hands. The challenge should be embraced.

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