CUNY Sociology Professor Richard Alba will join us to explain why the number of young Americans from mixed families is surging and what this means for the country’s future. His new book is: "The Great Demographic Illusion: Majority, Minority, and the Expanding American Mainstream."
Assembling a vast body of evidence, Alba explores where individuals of mixed parentage fit in American society. Most participate in and reshape the mainstream, as seen in their high levels of integration into social milieus that were previously white dominated.
Yet, racism is evident in the very different experiences of individuals with black-white heritage. Alba’s portrait squares in key ways with the history of immigrant-group assimilation, and indicates that, once again, mainstream American society is expanding and becoming more inclusive.
