by Neal Lemery
“I remember asking a Black member of the City Council whether he worried that the culture of New Orleans might be changed by the terrible disaster. So many Black residents had been displaced; so many Latino workers had arrived to rebuild. Would something be lost?
“He laughed at me. A big, warm, New Orleans laugh.
“Nah,” he said. “It’s just another flavor in the gumbo, man.”
——–Terry Moran, Real Patriotism column, 2/16/2026
I see a lot of commentary these days talking about “white America”, with some lamenting that “white America” is endangered, and needs to be restored, revived, and protected. “White America” is often portrayed as northern European, and often British, with one’s ancestral language being English.
Looking at my fellow Americans, my childhood upbringing, and my adult life, I’d beg to differ. The United States is diverse, not a “melting pot” and more like that New Orleans gumbo. While a big portion of my community I knew was “white”, the exceptions swallowed that stereotype. A number of neighbors of family and friends hailed from all over the Globe, including Indonesia, China, and Mexico. My dad’s family spoke German at home. A family friend spoke fluent Mandarin, having been a missionary in China for twenty years. Another friend taught me Australian style baking, and how to measure ingredients, using a Metric scale. My grandparents’ good friends shared Dutch and Indonesian words for dairy farming and cheesemaking. My grandfather shared Russian words he learned in a prisoner of war camp.
A fellow fisherman shared legends and fishing stories from his native American family. Classmates, teachers and co-workers gave me new perspectives on other cultures, traditions, family life, music, and work. An overseas college program exposed me to the bilingual culture of Montreal, where English was the second language, and immigration from around the world was the norm. There, I found myself to be in the minority in terms of native language and culture, learning to understand my own biases and prejudices, my own assumptions about the world and my place in it. Work, travel, and volunteering gave me abundant opportunities to broaden my experiences and my awareness of other cultures and viewpoints.
Recent, fresh research and commentaries have also unearthed and discussed aspects of our history that contradict what is now seen as a misrepresentation, a myth of the purity and sanctity of “white America”.
Diversity and multi-culturalism was, in fact, the norm in our seemingly “white American” world. We just didn’t talk about wanting to live in a “white America. We closed our eyes to reality, and instead painted our cultural lenses with northern European whitewash. The reality was something else, seemingly ignored. We often chose to ignore the inconvenient truths and the richness of our cultural gumbo.
Today, a good third of my community are not white northern Europeans. In 2026, more “non-white” babies are born in the US than “white” babies. [1]
Estimated 2025 U.S. Population by Race/Ethnicity
- White (Non-Hispanic): ~57.7%–63.4%
- Hispanic or Latino: ~18.7%–20%
- Black or African American: ~12.4%
- Asian: ~5.8%–6.3%
- Two or More Races: ~3.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native: ~0.9%–1.4%
- Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander: ~0.2%–0.3%
—US Census [2]
We ignore that diversity, that richness, at our peril. Our prejudices, our biases, our narrow mindedness weakens us, siphons off our strengths. Such prejudice and bias, I submit, is immoral and unethical, contrary to our innate goodness and potential to lift all of us, to better our world, and to achieve individual potential and the collective potential of this country. Those attitudes impoverish us, diminishing our resources and our potential for greatness.
Today, my community is rich in the abundance of various cultures. Ethnic restaurants and cultural events in a wide range of nationalities flourish, and commercial activities are awash in several languages. My circle of friends is richer and deeper. Our work force is diverse and highly skilled. I see the world as more satisfying and stimulating. Foreign exchange students are abundant in our high schools, and the annual local Chamber of Commerce summer travel program offers a diverse range of overseas destinations. Local cultural groups proudly celebrate their heritage. Such diversity is one of our strengths. I’m a more complete, more interesting member of my community because of my exposure to cultures and experiences that haven’t been my own.
Labeling our “desired” cultural norm as “white Americans” is a misnomer, a falsity, and unrealistic. That label is misleading, and prevents us from facing the reality of living in a multi-cultural and multi-linguistic world, rich with abundant diversity.
“America is not like a blanket – one piece of unbroken cloth, the same color, the same texture, the same size. America is more like a quilt—many patches, many pieces, many colors, many sizes, all woven and held together by a common thread.” –Jesse Jackson.
I, for one, am grateful to live in this “gumbo” of our nation.
2/18/2026
EDITOR’S NOTE: And here’s a recipe for gumbo – https://laurenfromscratch.com/authentic-louisiana-cajun-chicken-and-sausage-gumbo/