The Color of Our Future

Noting that the U.S. Census Bureau predicts that nonwhites will be a majority of the American population by the year 2050, ABC News correspondent Chideya set out on a cross-country trip to take a sounding of American attitudes about race and came up with a book that raises many good questions but shies away from challenging answers. She focused on what she calls the ""Millennium Generation,"" 15- to 25-year-old blacks, whites, Latinos, Asian-Americans, Native Americans, mixed-race persons and others, both native- and foreign-born, because, she writes, ""they're more likely to interact with people of other races and backgrounds than other generations."" As her respondents air their diverse opinions on affirmative action, voucher programs, immigration, prejudice, jobs, underfunded schools and their dreams and prospects, a valuable composite portrait emerges of America's multiethnic, multiracial future. Chideya, a contributing editor at Time and Vibe, challenged media stereotypes of African-Americans in her first book, Don't Believe the Hype. Here she advocates ""color equality"" rather than ""color blindness"" in efforts to transcend cultural stereotypes. Chideya is a good listener, and readers will be entertained and sometimes enlightened by what her subjects say about the role of race and ethnicity at home, at school and on the street. But the book promises more than it delivers. While Chideya sensibly calls for coalition-building among minority groups to strengthen their collective power and develop a political agenda, she stops short of articulating what such an agenda should be. Agent, Charlotte Sheedy; author tour. (Feb.)