By the turn of the century, more than one-third of the U.S. population will be persons of color. Classification by self-identification is becoming more complicated, and the traditional four racial categories do not describe the changing population of the United States adequately. This book was written as a source of basic information about some of the cultures that constitute the increasing number of Americans of color. Each chapter deals with one cultural group with respect to its history, immigration, population in the United States, language, family customs, nutritional preferences, religious practices, health beliefs and practices, common diseases, and ideas about death and dying. The book is intended for general audiences, including young people of about junior high age and older. Although all members of these cultural groups might not describe themselves as people "of color," the focus is on cultures that incorporate a significant number of nonwhite people. The following groups are described: (1) "Africans"; (2) "African Americans"; (3) "Alaskan Americans"; (4) "Asian Americans"; (5) "Haitian Americans"; (6) "Hawaiian Americans"; (7) "Native Americans"; (8) "Puerto Rican Americans"; and (9) "West Indian Americans." Each chapter contains references. (SLD)