Minority population surpasses 100 million

? Linda Wunder, a white nurse anesthetist, ran down the list of minorities she works with at her Pembroke Pines, Fla., hospital – colleagues from Haiti, the Philippines and India.

“I feel I’m a minority, but I’m comfortable with it,” said Wunder, 43. “I don’t see color or races. As long as they are good people, it doesn’t bother me.”

Across the nation, white Americans increasingly are watching their communities being transformed by minorities. New data released today by the Census Bureau shows that the nation’s minority population has reached a new milestone, surpassing 100 million, and accounting for one in every three U.S. residents.

Some Hispanics say the demographic shifts don’t necessarily mean they are close to gaining political clout.

“My question is, ‘When are we going to feel the power of these numbers?”‘ asked Colombian-born Michelle Acuna, 27, of Hollywood, Fla.

She said the Hispanic vote has yet to secure an immigration overhaul, or legalization for undocumented immigrants, a majority of them from Latin America.

Hispanics accounted for almost half of the national population growth for the year ending in July 2006. About a third of the Hispanic population was younger than 18, compared with one-fourth of the total population in that age range.