During most of the twentieth century, southeast Michigan was portrayed in scholarly research and the popular media as black and white. While the region has a rich history of international immigration prior to 1950, the post-war years have focused on the large migration from the American south and the resulting interaction between African Americans and Caucasians in the workplace and community. While Detroit was not a gateway city for immigrants, secondary migration flows continued to add to the first- and second-generation base. The unprecedented immigration flows that the country experienced during the 1990s have also been experienced in metropolitan Detroit, resulting in monumental changes in the diversity structure of the region. This expanded base now serves as a base for continued growth in the future. However, little is known about the groups that will make a significant contribution to the growth of the region. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of recent immigration trends in southeast Michigan and the socioeconomic diversity associated with these groups.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCl) is a multiissue, statewide nonprofit organization with a 28-year history and nearly 2,000 dues-paying members. CCI was founded in 1975 in Waterloo, Iowa, by people who wanted to address local problems and improve their community. Since then, CCI has expanded to include urban members from Des Moines and family farmers and other rural citizens from across the state. Iowa CCI’s purpose is to empower and unite grassroots people of all ethnic backgrounds to address problems in their community and win positive social, economic, and environmental justice.

What does a community need, and what can its market support? Financial institutions, regulators, community development financial institutions, community development corporations, and a wide range of others have been asking this question more regularly. Perhaps you have been asking yourself this and other questions:

• Are community needs the same as market demands?
• Does an institution’s service area comprise the same boundaries as its market?
• Where can I find strategic data and information to understand and interpret these dynamics?
• Can my community support a new grocery store, more daycare centers, or a bank branch? What is our competitive advantage?
• How can these opportunities be measured, communicated, and acted upon?

In early 2004, JP Morgan Chase and Bank One announced plans to create the second largest banking organization in the country. Before the deal was completed, the primary regulator for the acquiring bank, in this case the Federal Reserve, along with state banking agencies and the Department of Justice, had to evaluate the effect of the proposed merger on competition, the financial condition of the new entity and the competence of the managerial resources of the applicant. In addition, bank regulators had to consider each bank’s record in providing credit to lowand moderate-income neighborhoods and individuals, according to provisions of the 1977 Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). Community groups also weighed in with their assessment of the consolidation based on CRA considerations. The merger could have been delayed substantially if community groups had identified sufficient grounds for objection.