Times are changing, and so are the attitudes of yesteryear. As the United States works to embrace America’s first Black president, realize the impact of globalization, and acknowledge the diversity that is now moving to suburbia, there is increasing focus on building an inclusive society—and not always in the places that one might think.
The South has long been thought of as being the least likely to embrace progressive racial tropes, such as interracial marriage and procreation. However, a recent article in The New York Times reports that as the mixed-race population in states such as Mississippi continues to expand, many have come to notice a change in the racially hostile attitudes that have come to characterize the region. The 2010 Census found that many southern states experienced at least a 50 percent increase in their mixed race population. Michael Peeples, a white man in Mississippi whose wife is Black, says, “I think many older people are set in their ways, but 40 years old or younger, you’ll never get the sense that something’s wrong [with interracial relationships].”
Interestingly enough, oppressive attitudes are also shifting when it comes to same-sex marriage. For the first time, a recent poll found that 53 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, nearly 20 percent more than in 2005, The Boston Globe reports. The same poll surprisingly found that 55 percent of white Catholics support same-sex marriage. Signaling a shift in attitudes toward gays and lesbians, Evan Wolfson, president of Freedom to Marry says, “As people have to come to understand this is about loving, committed families dealing, like everyone, with tough times, they understanding how unfair it is to treat them differently.”
Sources: “Black and White and Married in the Deep South: A Shifting Image,” by Susan Saulny, The New York Times, March 19, 2011. “Poll Finds Most in US Back Gay Marriage,” The Boston Globe, March 19, 2011. “Catholics Lead the Way on Same-Sex Marriage,” by Jonathan Capehart, The Washington Post, March 21, 2011.
This article was featured in the March 23, 2011 issue of Diversity Best Practices’ email newsletter, Diversity in the News. To read additional stories from that issue, see the related content section below. To subscribe to Diversity in the News, register on the newsletter page of this website.
