Lab 4: Working with Tables

This map shows the percent of the population by county that is African American. I was actually very surprised to see that such a high percent of America's African American population is still concentrated in the South, an obvious vestige of slavery. I decided that a scale and a north star were unnecessary for this map (and the following maps). North is beyond obvious, in my opinion, and I felt a scale was irrelevant to this type of informational map.

This map shows the percent of the population that is Asian American by county. I was not surprised to see high concentrations on the West Coast, as well as the Northeast, Hawaii, and Alaska. I was glad Alaska and Hawaii came into play on this map, since I took the time to figure out how to add them!

This is a map of the percent of "other race" by county. I think this map is not very revealing, since "other race" is an extremely broad and obscuring category (as are all of these maps' categories to some extent). But, based on the patterns of concentration in the Southwest and Florida, I suspect many of these people are Latino/Chicano. This map is helps illustrate how significant this population actually is in America, as they are verging on majority status in many counties.

Together, these maps display that "minorities" are rapidly becoming the majority in America. We often hear statements along these lines, but seeing it graphically helps make it seem more real. I think this is an exciting time for America, and the near future holds a lot of potential for eliminating racist beliefs and laws as we all adjust to America's changing identity. It is obvious we as a country need to give more attention to the issues faced by so-called "minorities." As for my experience using the GIS software, I am definitely starting to understand and enjoy it more. By the time I constructed my last map, I could complete it in only a few minutes. I think my maps are coming out cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than before as well.