Minority (continued)

[Jesse Sheidlower]

> Here are some other early citations for _minority_, OED sense 3.b. (dated
> 1921 by OED):
>
> 1857 Henry T. Tuckerman _Biographical Essays_ 238  The establishment and
> grrowth of political and religious minorities transplanted from ancient
> states and hierarchies.

[etc.]

Thanks, Fred and Barry. In fact the OED now has an 1837 example for this sense.

If you're interested in a slightly different challenge, we are looking for
a pre-1976 example of 'a member of a minority group'. This is usually used
in the plural (in such constructions as "need to hire more women and
minorities").

Jesse Sheidlower
OED