Go to Previous section
1 Diversity in the United States Questions and Concepts
Who am I? . . . Where do I fit into American society? . . . For most of
... [Show More] my 47 years, I have struggled to find answers
to these questions. I am an American of multiracial descent and culture [Native American, African American, Italian
American, and Puerto Rican]. In this aspect, I am not very different from many Americans [but] I have always felt
an urge to feel and live the intermingling of blood that runs through my veins. American society has a way of forcing
multiracial and biracial people to choose one race over the other. I personally feel this pressure every time I have to
complete an application form with instructions to check just one box for race category.
—Butch, a 47-year-old man2
Actually, I don’t feel comfortable being around Asians except for my family. . . I couldn’t relate to . . . other Asians
[because] they grew up in [wealthier neighborhoods]. I couldn’t relate to the whole “I live in a mansion” [attitude].
This summer, I worked in a media company and it was kind of hard to relate to them [other Asians] because we all
grew up in a different place . . . the look I would get when I say “Yeah, I’m from [a less affluent neighborhood]”
they’re like, “Oh, oh” like, “That’s unfortunate for your parents, I’m sorry they didn’t make it.”
—Rebecca, a 19-year-old Macanese-Chinese-Portuguese woman3
Yeah, my people came from all over—Italy, Ireland, Poland, and others too. I don’t really know when they got here
or why they came and, really, it doesn’t matter much to me. I mean, I’m just an American. . . . I’m from
everywhere . . . I’m from here!
—Jennifer, a 25-year-old white American woman4
What do Butch, Rebecca, and Jennifer have in common? How do they differ? They think about their place in
American society in very different ways. All are connected to a multitude of groups and traditions but not all find
this fact interesting or important. One feels alienated from the more affluent members of her group, one seeks to
embrace his multiple memberships, and one dismisses the issue of ancestry as irrelevant and is comfortable and at
ease being “just an American.”
Today, the United States is growing more diverse in culture, race, religion, and language. The number of Americans
who identify as multiracial or who can connect themselves to different cultural traditions is increasing. Where will
this increasing diversity lead us? Will our nation fragment? Could we dissolve into warring enclaves—the fate of
more than one modern nation? Or can we find connection and commonality? Could we develop tolerance, respect,
or even admiration for one another? Can we overcome the legacies of inequality established in colonial days? Can
Americans embrace our nation’s increasing diversity and live out our motto, E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one) [Show Less]