Being seen as a "historic demographic milestone," the Census Bureau found that children of color make up more than half of the U.S. population under the age of 1. Defined as not "single race White" and "not Hispanic,” the survey shows that as of July 2011, 50.4% of children 12 months or younger were minorities. Never in the history of this country has that happened. "We've known it was going to come, but the question was what year the 'crossover point' would happen," said Kenneth M. Johnson, senior demographer at the Carsey Institute and professor of sociology at the University of New Hampshire.
Noting the profound political, economic, and social implications, these new numbers reflect a wave of change in society. The increase is largely being attributed to the influx in Latinos, Asians, and other immigrants over the past few decades. African-Americans are the second largest minority group in the United States at 43.9 million in 2011, an increase of 1.6% from 2010.
