Census shows nonwhite students outnumber white students
By GINNIE GRAHAM World Staff Writer
Published: 2/20/2011 2:30 AM
Last Modified: 2/20/2011 8:20 AM


President of the Hispanic Students Association Tracey Medina (from right), Melisa Gaona and Iris Bernal rehearse at Tulsa Community College's Global Fest in Tulsa on Wednesday. New census data show there was a 97 percent increase in Tulsa's Hispanic population from 2000 to 2010. ADAM WISNESKI / Tulsa World

In the past decade, the racial and ethnic minorities among Tulsa's children and teens have become the majority, and that flip is expected at the county and state levels within the next few years, according to recently released census data.


About 60 percent of the city's youth - those under 18 - are Hispanic, black, American Indian, other minority races or of two or more races.

This shift comes from a 119 percent leap in the Hispanic youth population and a nearly 36 percent jump in the "other" racial category. Within "other," an 80 percent rise is shown among the city's multiracial youth.

Drops in youth populations occurred among whites with a decrease of 13,863 children and teens, down by 26 percent from 2000.

Demographers at the Tulsa Community Service Council have seen shifts coming since the 1990s and predict the Tulsa County flip in youth will occur in the next four years and the state between five and seven years.

That estimate may be conservative, considering that in April 2010, the white youth population in Tulsa County stood at 52 percent and in the state at 56 percent, both decreases in the past decade.

"The words 'race' and 'ethnicity' will have no meaning by 2030," said associate director Jan Figart. "The cultural ethnicities will be the heartland versus coastal and college-educated and not."

Birth and fertility rates among Hispanic and Asian populations are the leading factors in the growth, along with interracial marriage with children and immigration, Figart said. Nearly 18 percent of births in Tulsa County are to Hispanic women, while the fertility rate among whites is at or below population replacement standards, Figart said.

"That means the white population is not replacing itself and will be replaced in the nursery before they are ever replaced at the border," she said.

Figart said local and state planning needs to consider the shifts as it looks to build an economy with an educated, healthy workforce and higher-paying jobs. She has concerns about policies and laws restricting access to basic needs such as health care, transportation, housing and education.

"These issues permeate schools, tag agencies, doctors offices and the our community dialogue," Figart said. "We are struggling economically and seek tangible explanations for the struggle. The minority-majority flip becomes a tangible change that the established culture sees as the threat, not the solution to the future."

Schools from early to higher education have been experiencing the diversified student body for the past decade.



In 2000, the Tulsa Community College Hispanic Student Association was nearly dormant as adviser Tina Peña scoured the campuses for membership.

Now, with nearly 80 members, the group requires three advisers to help with ongoing projects. Students visit lawmakers about immigration issues, help high school students fill out college applications and promote teen pregnancy prevention programs.

"Ten years ago, I had to go and recruit all the time, and the group was about educating colleagues on culture, cultural comparison and cultural differences," Peña said.

"I saw a change about three years ago. Our children are growing up and becoming politically active students. Some students are seeing their parents not have a right to drive or friends who have graduated from high school face huge barriers to obtaining a college education.

"The students are starting to use that momentum they feel together and use their leadership skills. And those leadership skills are surprising us."

Students volunteer as translators at public events and tutor elementary and high school students. A few times, they have notified the city when they see gang tagging near schools.

"I joined because I wanted to help the Hispanic community," said Monica Sanoval, a first-generation American of Mexican immigrants. "When I read some sad stories of what some kids go through, it moves my heart. We are all here to support each other.''

At the recent TCC Global Fest, members had plenty of cultural examples on display with traditional foods and members dressed in attire from Mexico and other South and Latin American countries.

Unlike other booths, the group had a sign in support of the DREAM Act and were speaking about proposals in the Oklahoma Legislature regarding immigration enforcement.

The proposed federal law would give conditional residency to illegal immigrant students who arrived in the country as minors if they graduate from high school and pursue a college education or military service. After a 10-year waiting period, they could obtain permanent residency if they meet certain requirements. The measure was blocked by a Senate filibuster in December.

Tracey Medina, president of the group and the daughter of parents who emigrated from Mexico about 30 years ago, said action in public affairs is what attracted her to the group.

"When I was told the HSA was about culture, I thought, 'I already know the culture,' " Medina said. "When I joined, I saw the political activism and work to help the community. I was really drawn to the DREAM Act.

"I get asked why I care about undocumented immigrants when I'm not one. This is not about being undocumented. This is about me being an ally with immigrants and support them so they won't lose faith."



After being involved in the group, young people have opened up to her with fears about being deported and lack of career and education options.

"People, some I don't know, trust me, telling me they are undocumented and ask if there is something I can do to help," Medina said. "It's a lot of pressure. And when the DREAM Act didn't pass, I felt I let everyone down. But it's made us stronger and closer.

"We'll continue to support it and go to high schools and let Hispanic students know not to give up on education."

A member of the group is a 25-year-old who was brought to the U.S. by his parents illegally when he was 14. He graduated from a Tulsa high school and asked not to be named because he feared being arrested by authorities.

After he obtains his degree, he would like to attend Oklahoma State University but cannot afford the tuition. He does not have a pathway to become a legal resident, with no family or employer sponsor. There is also a requirement to return to his home country in order to get a visa if approved, which may trigger a 10-year ban from re-entering the U.S.

"Even if I graduate, I won't be able to get a job," he said. "The DREAM Act would give us hope. I know I'm getting older and, even if it passes, I may not be eligible. But it would be there to help a bunch of other kids coming up behind me. It's time for us to tell people we do exist and want to exist legitimately."

World staff writer Curtis Killman contributed to this story.

Original Print Headline: Minority youth now majority

Read more from this Tulsa World article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article. ... TLIN978209