As diversity increasingly becomes the theme of civil rights, we must work together to ensure the abstract concept is given the necessary content to strengthen rather than weaken the progressive movement for racial justice. While all of us should have our voices heard in the discussion, it is crucial we avoid demagoguery, which would divide us.

The argument for introducing non-Black racial minorities to our conversation should not be misunderstood as an argument for replacing African-Americans in that dialogue. Otherwise we risk worsening the prospects of African-Americans, especially in higher education.

The trends are clear. The face of our nation is changing. We will almost certainly experience a profound transformation within our lifetimes, which no society in recorded history has ever undergone peacefully, much less successfully. Around 2050 or so, we will cease to have a single identifiable racial majority in this country.

At least in numerical terms, we are becoming multi-racial. We can see the new realities already in California, New York City and on many university campuses.

Accordingly, regardless of our own racial background, academic discipline or political orientation, we should begin our discussions with a picture of the world that is factually accurate. It is impossible to address the tensions of our democracy, much less the world, with a literally Black and White portrait of the population. Alongside African-Americans and Whites, there are millions of Latinos, Asian Americans, American Indians and people of multiple ancestries whose experiences deserve to be valued and whose claims warrant consideration.

Yet history is compelling. There is unfinished business — the legacy of practices as brutal as they were pervasive, started under chattel slavery and continued through Jim Crow — which demands public policy responses. The present effects of past discrimination create disparities that affect African-Americans in particular.