ABSTRACT

Since the 1960s, the country's attention has occasionally focused on the plight of "minorities" in society. Rooted in concern for the plight of blacks in society, the issues of low income, poverty, and low educational attainment begged for some explanation. A model was developed to explain these outcomes, and to provide a basis for social policy. Most of the national level policy debate about minorities has concentrated on blacks and black issues. Thus, the Department of Health and Human Services publication on the health of non-Anglos is tellingly titled Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Black and Minority Health. The model of the urban underclass was developed to undergird policy directed at black concerns. The Latino population, fueled by immigration and fertility, is growing rapidly. In California, it grew from barely 1.5 million in 1960 to over 7 million in 1990, and is projected to grow to at least 10-12 million by 2000.