Minority groups are those of the "protected class", such as women, groups of different nationalities and religions, and basically any group of people that can be discriminated against. Minority groups have very little representation compared to the dominant groups and definitely are not as powerful. The Conflict theorists believe this is deliberate, purposeful action of the dominant group to maintain a system of inequality. I found the perfect definition on www.tomcravens.com/minority and it is: "Minority Group refers to a recognizable group which is the subject of prejudice and or discrimination. Minority groups are commonly made up of a racial, religious or ethnic population. The term does not refer to the numerical size of the group." This fits my definition of a minority group because again it's any group of people that can be discriminated against or have prejudice thrown their way. I feel the African American is definitely a minority group in the United States. In the early 1900s, the dominant majority exercised absolute control over them. It was only through economic boycotts and political pressure that their situations began to change. The African American minority group is both ethnic and racial. Minority groups will never really be accepted into the mainstream, only tolerated by the dominant group. It's the light-skinned member of the African American minority group that makes it into the power elite. Colin Powell told Henry Louis Gates Jr. in the New Yorker, explaining his popularity among whites: "Thing is, I ain't that black." .
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