Opinion | A Diverse Nation Demands Collaboration

“I wanted to be in a position of influence,” he told me.

Such multiracial coalitions require cross-racial dexterity and entail some compromises and conflicts in seeking alliances. They may not be permanent. But they hold the promise of stability and new strengths in reaching a middle ground between assimilation and ethnic divisions: shared power built on common interests.

“There are a lot of things you can learn” from working in these coalitions, said Richard Castañeda, the Mexican-American engineer, who is now 73 and retired in San Antonio.

Rather than racist overreaction to population trends, how much more constructive to remind concerned voters that power is not just about the numbers. Since 2000, Latinos in Houston have helped elect two white mayors and a second black mayor, the incumbent Sylvester Turner. Political scientists say Latinos lag in voter registration and turnout.

People participate when they feel empowered, research shows. “In places where nonwhites are a majority, politicians and organizations are much more likely to mobilize and engage issues of concern to minority voters, boosting their turnout substantially,” said Bernard L. Fraga, author of the book “The Turnout Gap: Race, Ethnicity, and Political Inequality in a Diversifying America.”

The path to the presidency can be paved with plans that pay more attention to how to inspire more voters, address disparities among demographic groups and foster collaboration in elections, in drawing voting maps, in getting an accurate census that counts everyone. Through our democracy, we have the tools to make a transformative change that takes advantage of the new racial dynamics of more interwoven and multicultural communities as an opportunity to deliver better results for all our citizens — stronger economic interests, better civic engagement, a more participatory system. It can serve as an example to other democracies grappling with their own population shifts.

Getting mired in toxic distractions helps no one, of any race.

Mireya Navarro, a former national reporter at The Times, is a senior media strategist with the Brennan Center for Justice at N.Y.U. School of Law.

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