They don't feel it's a requirement to marry within their group, and they're not encountering a strong sense of prejudice against them in a spouse's family if they do marry. Paradoxically, researchers say, proportions of multiracial people will be higher in smaller cities than in bigger cities with huge, culturally embracing immigrant areas like L.A.'s Koreatown. Blacks, wherever they live and no matter how many racial boxes they check, may benefit less than others from a multiracial future, some researchers say. Some black civil rights organizations are concerned over potential dilution of membership, political clout and anti-discrimination enforcement efforts in employment, mortgage lending and other areas. The University of Michigan's Frey says that sympathy for blacks' complaints of discrimination is not likely to dissipate despite the growing numbers of multiracial Americans and of Latinos.
Blacks still have a claim on the public conscience.