Editorial: Appreciate diversity

Friday, Oct. 1, 2004 | 6:29 a.m.

WEEKEND EDITION

October 2 - 3, 2004

The census bureau this week released some numbers that we hope will generate a lot of thought among Clark County residents. The numbers show that as of July 2003, Hispanics accounted for 24.4 percent of the county's population, compared to 22 percent in 2000. Given that rate of growth, which shows no sign of slowing, the percentage of Hispanics in Clark County by now has surely surpassed 25 percent.

So what does it mean when one of every four people in a county of about 1.6 million is Hispanic? We believe it represents an opportunity to plan for a community where racial and ethnic harmony is a model for the rest of the country. Human nature being what it is, it's possible that tensions may develop if we don't plan for our changing demographics.

We would not want to see Las Vegas become a community where the growing Hispanic population, or any racial or ethnic group, feels forever polarized. Just as we plan for roads, downtown redevelopment, housing and future water supplies, we should plan for an inclusive community. Local governments, chambers of commerce, churches, and service organizations are among the groups that individually or together could take the lead on this.

We believe that at the same time we're growing more diverse, we should be growing more together.