Nonwhite minorities stand at the cutting edge of contemporary social history, including how their differences and experiences reflect majority group power and privilege. Minorities are largely nonnative, most as involuntary or voluntary immigrants. They aggregated 281.4 million, or 30 percent of the US population, in 2000. Judging aggregate nonwhite immigration and birth ratios, the Census Bureau estimates non-Hispanic whites will decline from a majority to 40 percent of Americans by 2100.

Minorities are American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian American, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, and Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander. A sixth category, Multiracial American (6.8 million or 2.4%) was included tentatively in 2000. Blacks (12% or 35 million) and Latinos (12.5% or over 35 million) were the largest, compared to Asian Americans (3.6% or 10 million), American Indians (0.9% or 2.5 million), and Pacific Islanders (0.1% or 400,000). All contribute to the nation, whether culturally or economically, yet face racial or ethnic discrimination. Thus they evince disparities in education, employment, income, housing, health, and political participation. Blacks and Latinos remain in the forefront of debate and policy on race, class, and gender poverty; public welfare; criminal justice; and electoral politics.