population

A historic decline in the number of U.S. whites and the fast growth of Latinos are blurring traditional black-white color lines, testing the limits of civil rights laws and reshaping political alliances as "whiteness" begins to lose its numerical dominance.

When Anton Kilpa raised his right hand and became an American citizen Wednesday, the Ukranian chemical engineer did so after five years of flipping burgers, cleaning chimneys and driving trucks while working his way through the complicated citizenship process.