This fourteenth edition of Annual Editions: Race & Ethnic Relations is a collection of articles from the best of the public press. The articles discuss race and ethnicity in the American legal tradition; immigration and the American experience; indigenous ethnic groups; Hispanic and Latino Americans; Asian Americans; African Americans; the ethnic legacy; international challenges for the 1990's; and understanding cultural pluralism.

UNIT 1. Racial and Ethnic Identity, Communities, and the Persistence of Diversity in America1. New Americans Fresh Off the Presses, Daniel Akst, Carnegie Reporter, Spring 2003Daniel Akst’s account of currents in the ethnic media, which are helping new immigrants to retain their links abroad and their simultaneous commitment to becoming U.S. citizens, expresses the emergence of contemporary ethnic group attitudes in an age of global interaction. Research on the ethnic media capsulized in this article invites the analyst to reconsider a range of communications and cultural issues that are also salient for politics and marketing.2. Integrated People, Integrated Places, D’Vera Cohn, Washington Post, July 29, 2002D’Vera Cohn reviews the new residential patterns now measurable owing to congressional mandates and the Office of Management and Budget’s authorization of data collection options used for the first time in the 2000 census. The tabulation of responses by self-selected, multiracial persons reveals a new geographical dimension and a new personal index of integration in America.3. Parishes in Transition: Holding on While Letting Go, Jessica Trobaugh Temple and Erin Blasko, South Bend Tribune, May 8, 2003These local accounts of Hispanic, Hungarian, and Polish communities reveal the transition experienced by ethnic Catholic parishes in an older industrial city of the Midwest.4. ‘New Brooklyns’ Replace White Suburbs, Rick Hampson, USA Today, May 19, 2003Rick Hampson’s new metaphor found in his report on the migration from cities to suburbs and in recent census data indicates the ongoing shift of urban ethnicities and the formation of new patterns of residential and migrant-group interaction as the metropolitization of America enters its fifth decade.5. It’s Blarney Meets Chutzpah, Over Red Wine and Green Beer, Jennifer Medina, New York Times, March 17, 2003The convergence on the same night of two religious holidays—Saint Patrick’s Day and Purim—brings together Catholics and Jews in New York City to celebrate.6. Old Clichés of Racists, Hicks and Hillbillies Die Hard When the Movies Head Below the Mason-Dixon Line, Scott Bowles, USA Today, February 8, 2002Scott Bowles’s review of the influence of American films that portray Southern culture reveals the role and impact of imaginative creations that shape popular consciousness. More important, he raises questions about distinguishing “literary ethnicity” from the historical and lived experiences of ethnic populations.UNIT 2. American Demography: Pieces of the Ambiguous LegaciesPart A. Slavery, Segregation, and Racialism7. The Slave History You Don’t Know, Scott McLemee, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 16, 2003Scott McLemee’s account of research on the regional history of slavery reveals an ignored dimension of the American past. He underscores the relevance of the local and specific character of ethnic group circumstances and the influence of regional contexts on relationships of ethnic and racial groups.8. Interracial Intimacy, Randall Kennedy, The Atlantic Monthly, December 2002Randall Kennedy’s thoughtful reflection on white-black dating and adoption traces the history of these most elemental aspects of racial interaction. He reports on current lines of argument and the interest in practices of exclusion and proscription that were invalidated in Loving v. Commonwealth of Virginia (1967).Part B. Other Dimensions of Diversity9. The Diversity Visa Lottery—A Cycle of Unintended Consequences in United States Immigration Policy, Anna O. Law, Journal of American Ethnic History, Summer 2002Anna Law’s account of the immigration reforms dating from 1965 and the current public practice of awarding visas by country lottery reveals the curious logic and trajectory of cultural, economic, and democratic assumptions at work.10. 2000 Census Ethnicity Data, McGraw-Hill/Dushkin, 2002This table, derived from the 2000 U.S. census, displays a small portion of the material collected on ancestry and ethnic heritage, which considerably widens and deepens our understanding of cultural pluralism.UNIT 3. Interpreting and Understanding Immigration11. Emerging Issues: National Origin Discrimination in Employment, Joanna Carey Smith, Popular Government, Fall 2002Joanna Carey Smith provides a detailed review of national origin in the legal history of protected civil rights and forecasts the growth of litigation and human resource management issues related to immigrants in the workforce.12. The South’s Changed Face, Anne Hull, Washington Post National Weekly Edition, December 16–22, 2002Anne Hull’s account of the changing South and its first large-scale demographic transformation indicates that the impact of population change and immigration has reached the final frontiers of America.13. Old and New Migrants in the Twentieth Century: A European Perspective, Leo Lucassen, Journal of American Ethnic History, Summer 2002The current arena of transnational migration and globalization suggests that revisiting the movement of peoples into America can become a fruitful model from which group relations can be explained and understood.14. The Immigrant Language Transition, Then and Now, Walter D. Kamphoefner, The Immigration and Ethnic History Newsletter, May 2003Walter Kamphoefner’s findings on patterns of immigrant language use—one of the central measures of acculturation and assimilation—establishes a framework for discussions of and policies on the limits and extent of cultural pluralism.UNIT 4. Indigenous Ethnic Groups15. An Introduction to Indian Nations in the United States, National Congress of American Indians, February 2001This record of the legal relations between Native Americans and the government of the United States provides evidence for the unique relationship of indigenous ethnic populations to the American reality.16. Pact Gives Canadian Tribe Wide Powers, DeNeen L. Brown, Washington Post, August 26, 2003DeNeen Brown’s report on changing relationships between Canada’s indigenous populations and its government provides a glimpse into the process of forging alternative forms of power sharing and decentralization.17. Northwest Tribe Struggles to Revive Its Language, Robert E. Pierre, Washington Post, March 31, 2003Robert Pierre’s account of one tribe’s struggle for language maintenance reveals the relevance of and devotion to traditional culture that emerge at the intersections with others.UNIT 5. Hispanic/Latino Americans18. ¿Tienen Numeros?, Joan Raymond, American Demographics, March 2002Based on information gleaned from Census 2000, media and market research firms are gathering data on the Hispanic broadcast market and language preferences as they relate to advertising and programming.19. Inventing Hispanics: A Diverse Minority Resists Being Labeled, Amitai Etzioni, Brookings Review, Winter 2002This article discloses the ramifications of Census Bureau categories and definitions as they relate to the classification of Hispanics as a homogenous group rather than as a variety of ethnic groups.20. ‘American Family’: Mi Casa Es Su Casa, Chon Noriega, The Chronicle of Higher Education, March 8, 2002Chon Noriega’s review and commentary on the television series that attempted to chronicle the archetypical/prototypical saga of the Mexican American family invites us into the world of literary ethnicity and the processes of social imagination used in mass and niche communications and media.21. Summer Can Be Lethal for Illegals, Patrick O’Driscoll and Haya El Nasser, USA Today, May 19, 2003The imaginative and frequently heroic side of immigration is portrayed in the struggle and danger documented by the stunning data in this account and in the cost of human life lost.UNIT 6. African Americans22. The Black Gender Gap, Ellis Cose, Newsweek, March 3, 2003Ellis Cose reports on the strides of black women into the mainstream of economic and professional life and traces the new evocative debate of race, class, and romance that has emerged.23. Black America’s Real Albatross: The Schooling Gap ... a Cautionary Yet Encouraging Tale, Jane Mack-Cozzo and Clint Bolick, The American Enterprise, April/May 2003This provocative account and promotion of a controversial remedy has moved into center stage owing to congressional action related to schooling in the District of Columbia.24. Seeking to Heal Rift Between Hill’s Blacks and Jews, Betsy Rothstein, The Hill, July 10, 2002Betsy Rothstein’s report on the latest round of Jewish-black relations reveals the meshing of politics into the fabric of intergroup dialogue and describes how the foreign and domestic policy arenas intersect in these very provocative and long-standing dimensions of public and human affairs.UNIT 7. Asian Americans25. The Myth of the Model Minority, Noy Thrupkaew, The American Prospect, April 8, 2002Noy Thrupkaew’s essay addresses the tension between strong values and the existence of grim economic and social conditions for many Southeast Asians in America. He argues that emphasis on Asian values may ignore and neglect differences among Asian ethnicities and specific needs in disparate communities.26. In Pakistani Areas of New York City, a Lingering Fear, Marjorie Valbrun and Ann Davis, Wall Street Journal, November 13, 2002The authors report on the consequences of attention to terrorism and homeland security, including arrests, alarm, and flight to Canada, revealed in this account of Pakistani experiences.27. Teens, Heritage on Collision Course, Rex W. Huppke, Chicago Tribune, July 26, 2003Rex Huppke’s feature story on the intersection of cultures within the context of American teenage rituals reveals the resiliency, adaptability, and creativity, and the potential for conflict and collision, in the immigrant social imagination. He also discusses the social practices that are at the heart of managing diversity.28. A Proposal I Never Thought I’d Consider, Sabaa Saleem, Washington Post, August 17, 2003Sabaa Saleem’s account presents a provocative case study of the resiliency, adaptability, and persistence of tradition and the processes of negotiating the limits and boundaries of the old and new as they shape identity through choices made.UNIT 8. Public Policy Origins of Race and Ethnic Relations29. Racial Restrictions in the Law of Citizenship, Ian F. Haney Lopez, from White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race, New York University Press, 1996This article traces the legal history of naturalization in the development of the definitions and legal norms that affected American citizenship.30. The Court & the University: An Exchange, Stanley Rothman, The New York Review of Books, August 14, 2003This exchange between Stanley Rothman and Ronald Dworkin illustrates the difficulties related to applied research and reminds the reader that the law, the court, and some research are driven by political choices and expectations.31. The Biggest Barrier to College Isn’t Race, Kermit L. Hall, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 20, 2003Kermit Hall presents a thoughtful account of the struggle to assure accessibility of higher education to the working poor and the middle class, which is not really addressed in the current affirmative action cases or debate.32. Judges in U. of Michigan Case Skirted the Thorniest Issues, John D. Skrentny, The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 31, 2003John Skrentny’s essay, written in the wake of the Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action in college and professional school admission processes, poses questions regarding the next level of analysis and begins another type of analytics required to get at the issues that these cases ignored.UNIT 9. Eastern European and Mediterranean Ethnics33. N.Y.’s Unique ‘Jewish Reality’, Stevenson Swanson, Baltimore Sun, August 30, 2003Stevenson Swanson’s feature on a world of Jewish immigrants in New York City invites us to recognize both historical and locational diversity within ethnic populations and to reject stereotypical portrayals as literary artifices and political devices.34. Rabbi, Muslim Team Up for a Few Laughs, John Rivera, Baltimore Sun, April 6, 2003John Rivera reports on the rarely tried use of comedy in intergroup relations, which exposes dimensions of human sensitivity and sensibility related to intensely felt conflict and the expectation that fundamental humanity can be discovered in the artifices of humorous encounters and evocations.35. Our Polish American Self Image: Responding to Its Detractors, Donald Pienkos, Zgoda, August 15, 2001Donald Pienkos presents a profile of variety within an ethnic population and discusses ethnic identity and stereotypes related to Polish Americans.36. We Are All Sopranos, Martha Bayles, The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 6, 2002More than a cliche or an exploitation of “sex, drugs, profanity, and violence,” The Sopranos explores issues related to class and ethics that engage us all.37. From the Boat to the Book, Dona De Sanctis and Michael Greto, Italian Americana, Spring 2003Dona De Sanctis reports on the Sons of Italy initiative to promote a new form of literary ethnicity that fosters historical and fictional publication of works that expand the accessibility of the Italian American experience.38. Where We Stand on Issues, James J. Zogby, from What Ethnic Americans Really Think: The Zogby Culture Polls, Zogby International, 2001This collection of ethnic group opinions, based on the largest sample of ethnic group representatives ever systematically studied, asks the reader to reconsider the entire concept of race and ethnic group relations.UNIT 10. International Dimensions of Race and Ethnic Relations39. A City That Echoes Eternity, Kenneth L. Woodward, Newsweek, July 24, 2000Kenneth Woodward suggests that through the collective memories of Abrahamic faiths, Jerusalem transcends the physical world and transforms issues of governance into precincts that strain both the human and the divine.40. A German Court Accepts Teacher’s Head Scarf, Mark Landler, New York Times, September 25, 2003Mark Landler’s account of this case mirrors deeper questions of how European countries are addressing a growing number of immigrants and how they are institutionalizing approaches to tolerance and nondiscrimination in public affairs.41. For Jews in France, a ‘Kind of Intifada’, Glenn Frankel, Washington Post, July 16, 2003Glenn Frankel reports on the escalation in the number of hate crimes in France and the community-based assaults against Jews, and he examines the attendant increased concern about remedies and approaches to interethnic vigilance and perhaps reconciliation.42. Affirmative Action Debate Forces Brazil to Take Look in the Mirror, Jon Jeter, Washington Post, June 16, 2003Jon Jeter’s account of the current debate regarding affirmative action policy in Brazil—a country that has the largest African diasporic population—reveals much about color consciousness and the complexity related to racial/ethnic pluralism, access to opportunity, and professional mobility.43. Ethnic, Religious Fissures Deepen in Iraqi Society, Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Anthony Shadid, Washington Post, September 29, 2003This article describes the ethnic and religious tensions that have developed between the Kurds and other Arabs in a northern Iraqi village as well as the problems between Sunni and Shiite Muslims in central and southern Iraq that have unsettled many Iraqis who want their country to stay in one piece.44. Community Radio Gives India’s Villagers a Voice, Rama Lakshmi, Washington Post, September 17, 2003Rama Lakshmi’s report on the technological change and the hopes of empowerment brought about through microlevel initiatives in India and Sri Lanka raises the question of whether these new capabilities will be used to foment ethnic conflict.UNIT 11. Understanding Pluralism: Exploring the Horizons and Challenges of Ethnicity, Religion, and Group Relations45. Tribal Warfare, Bernard Avishai, The American Prospect, August 13, 2001Bernard Avishai writes, “Before they can reach a settlement with the Palestinians, Israel’s ‘five tribes’ must navigate between Hebrew democracy and Zionist revolution.”46. Don’t Do Me Any Favors, John McWhorter, The American Enterprise, April/May 2003This collage of reflections on the search for clarity in discourse about pluralism, diversity, and public policy reveals the potential and real dynamics that demean ethnicity and racial identities and the isolation and divisiveness that persist in the fragmented world of social meaning found in many countries, including the United States.47. The Geometer of Race, Stephen Jay Gould, Discover, November 1994This is an account of the origins of the eighteenth-century scientific climate of thought that contributed to the racial misunderstandings that plague us today. The article reveals an important feature of theory construction derived from insight into the history and philosophy of science.48. Racial Equality: Public Policies for the Twenty-First Century, The Ninety-Eighth American Assembly, April 2001The mandate of the American Assembly is to work toward racial equality and social justice. The 2000 census indicates that the United States is rapidly moving beyond the black-white paradigm. Issues at this meeting focused on criminal justice, economic opportunity, immigration, and education reform.49. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, Phillip Jenkins, Perspectives, May 2003Phillip Jenkins extends his research on anti-Catholic prejudice in the United States and addresses the implications of cultural/ethnic variety for the future of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.