D.C.'s Milestone Black Majority Lost

The first major American city to have a black majority, Washington D.C.'s demographics have shifted again.

1 minute read

July 19, 2011, 10:00 AM PDT

By Nate Berg


The population of African Americans slipped under 50% earlier this year according to demographers. Locals can already see the change.

"The shift is passing without much debate, but it is leaving ripples of resentment in neighborhoods across the city, pitting some of the city's long-term residents, often African-American, against affluent newcomers, most of whom are white, over issues as mundane as church parking and chicken wings.

'You can't help but look around and see the face of the community changing before your eyes,' said Tom Sherwood, co-author of 'Dream City: Race, Power, and the Decline of Washington, D.C.' "

Sunday, July 17, 2011 in The New York Times

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