Feeling at Home

September 30, 1997

The best America is one in which families of various nationalities and colors feel at home. One where names on mailboxes run the gamut of vowel-consonant mixes and children growing up don't even notice.

New numbers show the US moving toward that ideal of brotherhood. A Harvard study finds sharp gains in overall home buying - owning a share in America. Strikingly, Hispanic, black and Asian families all participated in a surge of first-time homebuyers. Minorities account for 29 percent of new homeowners. That's a step toward better schools and jobs for their kids.