But members of social organizations representing the two groups said those disagreements are growing pains that might soon fade. Marisa Deme, general counsel of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, said tension between the groups can't be avoided. There are enough issues out there and enough commonality that we share. Already, the increasing Hispanic population has had an impact on everything from political campaigns to business marketing. Major corporations pay millions to advertise on Spanish-language television, where ratings in some cities surpass those of English stations.
Salsa is now more likely to sit on America's kitchen tables than ketchup.
The new census figures also provided a glimpse into the mixed-race figure. The numbers showed that far more blacks than expected checked off more than one race in the census. Recent national studies had indicated that only 1 percent or 2 percent would although some experts said the publicity about the new option could drive numbers up. One in 12 black children younger than 18 also were reported as belonging to more than one race, many of them from the nation's growing number of interracial marriages. Among African-Americans 50 and older, only 2.3 percent designated themselves as being more than one race.