Philadelphia's demographics and politics no longer just black and white

According to the latest census figures, 21 percent of Philadelphia's residents are now neither white nor African American. "This city is no longer black and white," said Angel Ortiz, a former City Councilman and a Puerto Rican activist.



The fact is that explosive growth in the city's Latino and Asian populations is the main reason Philadelphia expanded in the 2000s instead of shrinking for a sixth straight decade.

Latino, Asian, and other populations have swelled by 183,000 since 1990, even as the white and black totals declined 243,000, as detailed in a Pew Charitable Trusts study last week.

This is no surprise to anyone who lives in Philadelphia. The city's changing identity is obvious on the streets, and not just in long-established enclaves like Chinatown and the North Fifth Street corridor. There are the growing Mexican, Cambodian, and Vietnamese communities in South Philadelphia, Brazilians in Oxford Circle, Korean immigrants in Olney, and so on.

All of which is fantastic for Philadelphia.

Immigration means vitality, commerce, and growth. It means more languages on the bus, more interesting food in city restaurants, new artistic and cultural expressions. More, in other words, of everything that makes American cities what they are.

But these momentous demographic changes have not registered with the city's hidebound political system, where Latinos and Asians have been almost entirely shut out. There are no Asians on City Council. No ward leaders. No Council members. No state legislators.

Latinos - now at least 12 percent of the city's population - fare little better. State Rep. Angel Cruz is not just Philadelphia's sole Hispanic representative in Harrisburg, he is the only elected Latino in the 253-member legislature. Maria Quinones Sanchez is the only elected Latino on Council; only three of 64 Democratic ward leaders are Hispanic.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/123304073.html

 

a govt department stated that latinos will be the majority by 2050. politicians may want to rethink how they do shit from here on out because people will remember. especially the republican party