She never knows what she's going to wade through each day. A sea of cockroaches. Ms. Hayes is an investigator for Texas' Child Protective Services, the agency charged with guarding the state's youngest residents from abuse or neglect. Only 11 of today's 143,000 state inmates have been behind bars for more than 30 years. But the number of 30-year prisoners will burst into the thousands in years to come.
Many people have interracial and cross-cultural friendships, as do their children.
And there are some racially integrated neighborhoods and cities. Still, chances are your closest friends are those who share your tastes in food, music and sports, as well as those who share your religious beliefs. Often, this coincides with racial and ethnic heritage. The family has already plowed up 1,100 acres of cotton that never grew. Insurance payments will cover only a fraction of the cost it took to plant.