Baby Boomers and Millennials and Diversity

I guess it's time for older white Americans to start panicking.  The latest numbers are out and it shows that the Millennials are now the most DIVERSE generation in America.  We all heard there was going to be a changing of the guard but we didn't expect it until somewhere around 2050 (as reported in an article by CNN).

Well, the U.S. Census Bureau now CONFIRMS it.  Millennials are now the majority in population and diversity.  Now that's a two for one.  The generation born between 1982 and 2000 now number 83.1 million, compared to 75.4 million baby boomers (and remember we're dying off daily).

So here's how it breaks down:

• All race and ethnic groups except single-race, non-Hispanic whites had more births than deaths between 2013 and 2014.

• Five states or equivalents are now considered majority-minority: Hawaii (77.0 percent), the District of Columbia (64.2 percent), California (61.5 percent), New Mexico (61.1 percent) and Texas (56.5 percent).

• Florida had the highest percentage of its population age 65 and older among states in 2014 (19.1 percent), followed by Maine (18.3 percent). Alaska had the lowest percentage (9.4 percent), followed by Utah (10.0 percent).

• California had the largest non-Hispanic white alone population of any state in 2014 (14.9 million).  California also had the largest Hispanic population of any state in 2014 (15.0 million).

• New York had the largest black population of any state or equivalent in 2014 (3.8 million); The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of blacks (50.6 percent), followed by Mississippi (38.2 percent).

• The District of Columbia has the highest percentage of females of any state or equivalent (52.6 percent), followed by Delaware (51.6 percent).

• Alaska has the highest male percentage (52.6 percent), followed by North Dakota (51.3 percent).

A Baby Boomer Lesson on Diversity

On Saturday, my grandson was invited to the birthday/halloween party of one of his classmates. Since I had never met Julianna's parents I wasn't sure what to expect.


What I discovered was Julianna's mother is black and her father is of Latin descent. The children who came to the party were from different racial and ethnic backgrounds and it was a beautiful sight to see.

For a three-hour period, the adults watched as their children played and shared without prejudice. For that moment in time no one saw race as an issue. Even the parents were laughing and joking with each other.

By the time children get to elementary school, they are aware of differences and some have already developed prejudices against people who are different because of the adults around them.

There are simple ways that parents and baby boomer grandparents can help their children and grandchildren understand differences in people and be tolerant of these differences:

Show that you value diversity through your friendships and business relationships. What you do is as important as what you say.

Make and enforce a firm rule that a person's ethnic background is never an acceptable reason for teasing or rejecting someone.

Provide opportunities for your children to interact with others who are racially or culturally different and with people who have disabilities. Look for opportunities in the neighborhood, school, after-school and weekend programs, church, camps, concerts, and other community events.

Respectfully listen to and answer your child's questions about people's differences. If you ignore questions, change the subject, sidestep, or scold your child for asking, you may suggest that the subject is bad or inappropriate.

Teach you child ways to think objectively about bias and discrimination and to witness against these injustices. Set an example by your own actions.

I will be having my own party on November 2 and have invited a diverse group of people to attend. I wonder if they will choose to show up or allow their own prejudices to hold them back.
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