Chin, Jean LauThe rapid growth of the non-White population in Massachusetts during the last decade mirrors that of the U.S. population with racial/ethnic minorities in 1995 making up 27% of the total population. Forty percent of the U.S. population will be immigrants or first generation Americans by the year 2000. Estimates predict that racial/ethnic minorities in the U.S. will make up 48% of the total population by 2050; 14.4% will be Black, 22.5% Hispanic, 9.7% Asian American, 0.9% American Indian, and 52.5% White.1 This does not include new migrations from Europe. The growing diversity of the U.S. population is reflected also in the heterogeneity within racial/ethnic minority groups. Blacks include African Americans, Haitian Creole, and other Caribbean groups, while Hispanic or Latino Americans include individuals from South America, Central America, Mexicans, Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and others. Asian Americans include over 40 groups, with the most common in Massachusetts being Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Korean, Filipino, Japanese, and Indian. Native Americans include 365 tribes, with the Wampanoag and Micmac tribes being most common in Massachusetts. Each of the racial/ethnic groups has emphasized the significant heterogeneity within groups with respect to population demographics and health risk factors.2 Each racial/ethnic group has sought to eliminate the adverse effects of racism and stereotypes while supporting the importance of attending to unique group differences. The prevalence of negative stereotypes for Blacks and Hispanics and the adverse effects of the healthy model minority myth for Asians have resulted in discriminatory practices in service delivery and resource allocation for all of these groups. Yet, it is clear that the sociopolitical context of poverty, racism, immigration, and culture has had a significant bearing on health status, health care utilization, and access to care for all racial/ethnic groups.ResearchPracticeHealthcultural competencehealth careMassachusettsOther