The shift in demographics is evident in all aspects of U.S. life. One of the ways in which the shift in demographics in percieved in through the lens of nativism and white supremacy. Check out our video http://youtu.be/SgjFJ36yme8 on the Federation for American Immigration Reform and their use of demographic shifts as a foundation to write laws like SB1070.

(flickr: mathowie)

via Colorlines

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For the first time ever the majority of babies in the U.S. were born to parents of color. The findings were released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday — less than 24 hours after Alabama state lawmakers passed a revision to the nation’s harshest state immigration law, which was aimed at cracking down on the state’s growing immigrant population.

The tipping point came on July 1, 2010 when 50.4 percent of the nation’s population younger than the age of one was of color. Of the births that took place between July 2010 and 2011, about 26 percent were Latino, followed by 15 percent black, and 4 percent Asian.

Latinos continue to be the nation’s fastest growing group with their population increasing by 3.1 percent since 2010. Latinos made up 16.7 percent of the nation’s population in 2011, with Los Angeles having the highest percentage of Latinos of any county.

These are exactly the kinds of large demographic trends that are reshaping the country,” said Julianne Hing, Colorlines.com’s immigration reporter.

“Anti-immigrant laws like H.B. 56 passed in Alabama yesterday are an example of how powerful the fears about the growing population of Latinos and people of color in the country can be,” Hing went to say.

Below are other key findings from the U.S. Census Report that illustrate population shifts are only going in one way right now: 

(Note the term Hispanic is used in place of Latino due to Census classifications.)

Hispanics

• Nationally, the most populous minority group remains Hispanics, who numbered 52 million in 2011; they also were the fastest growing, with their population increasing by 3.1 percent since 2010. This boosted the Hispanic share of the nation’s total population to 16.7 percent in 2011, up from 16.3 percent in 2010.
• California had the largest Hispanic population of any state on July 1, 2011 (14.4 million), as well as the largest numeric increase within the Hispanic population since April 1, 2010 (346,000). New Mexico had the highest percentage of Hispanics at 46.7 percent.
• Los Angeles had the largest Hispanic population of any county (4.8 million) in 2011 and the largest numeric increase since 2010 (73,000). Starr County — on the Mexican border in Texas — had the highest share of Hispanics (95.6 percent).

Blacks

• African-Americans were the second largest minority group in the United States, at 43.9 million in 2011 (up 1.6 percent from 2010).
• New York had the largest black or African-American population of any state or state equivalent as of July 1, 2011 (3.7 million); Texas had the largest numeric increase since 2010 (84,000). The District of Columbia had the highest percentage of blacks (52.2 percent), followed by Mississippi (38.0 percent).
• Cook, Ill. (Chicago) had the largest black or African-American population of any county in 2011 (1.3 million), and Fulton, Ga. (Atlanta) had the largest numeric increase since 2010 (13,000). Holmes, Miss., was the county with the highest percentage of blacks or African-Americans in the nation (82.9 percent).

Asians

• Asians, who numbered 18.2 million nationally in 2011, were the second fastest-growing minority group, growing by 3.0 percent since 2010.
• California had both the largest Asian population of any state (5.8 million) in July 2011 and the largest numeric increase of Asians since April 1, 2010 (131,000). Hawaii is our nation’s only majority-Asian state, with people of this group comprising 57.1 percent of the total population.
• Los Angeles had the largest Asian population of any county (1.6 million) in 2011, and also the largest numeric increase (16,000) since 2010. At 61.2 percent, Honolulu had the highest percentage of Asians in the nation.

American Indians and Alaska Natives (AIAN)

• The nation’s American Indian and Alaska Native population was an estimated 6.3 million in 2011, up 2.1 percent from 2010.
• California had the largest American Indian and Alaska Native population of any state in 2011 (1,050,000), and also the largest numeric increase since 2010 (23,000). Alaska had the highest percentage of AIAN (19.6 percent).
• Los Angeles had the largest AIAN population of any county in 2011 (231,000), and also the largest numeric increase (9,000) since 2010. Shannon County, S.D. — on the Nebraska border and located entirely within the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation — had the highest percentage of AIAN (93.6 percent).

Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders (NHPI)

• The nation’s Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander population was 1.4 million in 2011 and grew by 2.9 percent since 2010.
• Hawaii had the largest population of Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders of any state (359,000) in 2011. California had the largest numeric increase since 2010 (9,000). Hawaii had the highest percentage of NHPI (26.1 percent).
• Honolulu had the largest population of NHPI of any county (235,000) in 2011. Los Angeles County had the largest numeric increase since 2010 (2,700). Hawaii County had the highest percentage of NHPI (34.0 percent).