Karen S. Peterson

About the author: Karen S. Peterson is a contributor to USA Today.

According to a USA Today survey, 57 percent of teenagers in America have dated someone of a different racial background. Another 30 percent indicated that they would consider dating someone of a different ethnic background. A rise in immigration, which increases the amount of contact that teens have with people of different racial backgrounds, has been partly attributed to the rise in interracial dating. Also, many of today's parents have more liberal attitudes toward interracial dating as a result of growing up during the civil rights era. The rise in interracial dating among teenagers does not mean that racism is no longer a problem in America, but it is an encouraging sign of future race relations.

As Americans struggle with racially charged issues...