American Ethnic Formulation: An Agglomeration?

Several trends exist in the ethnic formulation of the American population. While in the early years of this country immigration was predominantly European, today the immigration trend is from Asian and Latin American countries. These changes in demographics will lead to changes in political power, but also to changes that are yet unforeseen.

Some contend that as new minorities dominate old minorities, there will be new shifts of power and potential violence as well. This may have already manifested itself, as fights between Latinos and blacks over funding for bilingual education in Los Angeles are not unknown. However, the events of September 11 may provide a clue as to how diversity may actually be a benefit. Many American Muslims publicly proclaimed their support for the victims and victim's families while expressing disgust at the perpetrators that used their religion as an excuse for the mass murder of civilians. While there were some isolated instances of violence directed at American Muslims internally, the vast majority of Americans took consolation in knowing that mainstream Islam was not a religion of violence, but rather a religion of peace, and that it was extremist Muslims at the root of the atrocities.

However, one thing is for sure: The melting pot concept of immigration in this country is only fiction. In order for America to truly be a melting pot, we would all blend our ways of thinking and behaving, and that is just not happening.

Consider the plight of the Martin Luther King Jr. Medical Center in Los Angeles. While originally built for blacks by blacks, it now supports more Latinos than blacks. But Latinos are not only just using the facility, they are also pressing for Latino doctors and administrators. This is not melting; rather, this is agglomeration, a clustering of like-skinned, like-minded, like-language, peoples. Essentially, these people are not trying to blend into American culture, they are relocating their native cultures to America.

So why is America experiencing this influx of immigrants? The answer is relatively simple: money. In the case of Latinos migrating from Mexico, almost all do so for work. And in most cases, they do work that is not at the top of the list for most Americans.

This synergistic relationship brings thousands of migrants to the US and, in some cases, like that of migrant farming, they have completely dominated the industry. If these thousands

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