What Charlottesville Illuminated: The Core Assumption at the Heart of the “You will not replace us” Chant is Disturbingly Widespread

Friends,

As educators, we know that history is not just about the past—it’s about how we understand the present and imagine the future. That’s why I want to highlight this important collection from Politico Magazine, published one year after the violent white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. Taking place during the first year of the Trump administration, Charlottesville marked what many at the time understood as a turning point in America’s confrontation with racism, political extremism, and white nationalist ideology.

Today, we know more. What once seemed like a fringe movement has since revealed itself as a powerful political force, shaping everything from school policy to immigration law to the discourse around American identity. As such, it remains vital that we revisit where we were then—so we can better understand how we got here.

Among the 16 essays in this reflective series, the one by Heather McGhee stands out for its substantive focus on white replacement theory (WRT), a once-fringe conspiracy now openly trafficked in mainstream political discourse. McGhee’s piece is essential reading. She reminds us that the violence on display in Charlottesville—the torch-lit march, the deadly car attack—was not simply about hate, but about fear: specifically, the widespread belief among many white Americans that racial progress for others necessarily comes at their expense.

“You will not replace us” was more than a chant. It reflected a zero-sum worldview—a racialized anxiety reinforced by political messaging, media narratives, and anti-immigrant rhetoric. McGhee draws on research showing that when white Americans are reminded of the country’s shifting demographics, they often move toward more conservative policy positions, regardless of their prior affiliations.

But what McGhee so powerfully articulates is that these beliefs do not only live at the margins. They are sustained by what she calls “America’s myth of innocence”—our national tendency to celebrate our founding ideals while avoiding the hard truths about how white supremacy has long been baked into our systems, including those we teach and work within.

Her call to action is clear: we must craft a new national narrative—one grounded in truth, accountability, and a vision of shared prosperity. As educators, we are uniquely positioned to contribute to this effort. In our classrooms, our scholarship, and our institutional leadership, we must resist the normalization of white grievance politics and instead model what it means to build a multiracial democracy rooted in justice and inclusion.

Cultivating an open mind about what it truly means to live in a multi-ethnic, multiracial democracy—something we are rapidly moving toward—is not just important; it's essential. Research shows that so-called "traditional masculinity," especially as promoted by the alt-right and the manosphere, often sabotages the very relationships and family structures it claims to defend. These ideologies glorify hostility, entitlement, and emotional detachment—traits that ultimately undermine intimacy, stability, and long-term well-being. 

In fact, studies have found that men who engage in nurturing fatherhood experience significant biological changes, including lower testosterone levels, suggesting that emotional investment—not dominance—supports reproductive and relational success (e.g. Gettler et al., 2011). Put simply, it’s in men’s best interest to evolve as WRT doesn't contribute to biological-species reproduction and survival. Don't take it from me. Read the research for yourselves.

I do see this beginning to happen in my circles, but more must be done, beginning in our homes and families. I invite you to read McGhee’s piece closely. Let it affirm the urgency of our work—and the power of education to help shape an America that truly belongs to us all.

—Angela Valenzuela

Reference

Gettler LT, McDade TW, Feranil AB, Kuzawa CW. (2011). Longitudinal evidence that fatherhood decreases testosterone in human males Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2011;108(39):16194–16199. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1105403108

What Charlottesville Changed, by POLITICO Magazine: 

We asked 16 of the most thoughtful people we know to describe the impact of the violence—and how we should think about it a year later





The core assumption at the heart of the “You will not replace us” chant is disturbingly widespread’
Heather McGhee is a distinguished senior fellow and former president of Demos and Demos Action.

The white supremacist violence in Charlottesville—the menacing, torchlit march to the Robert E. Lee statue and the armed and ultimately murderous rally the next day—was alarming for what it revealed not just about the torch-bearers, but about us. The neo-Nazis chanted “You will not replace us,” claiming a continuity between their white tribal allegiances and the monuments to Confederate icons threatened with removal. But while their violence may have marked them as fringe, the core assumption at the heart of their chant is disturbingly widespread.

A landmark study published in 2014 by psychologists Maureen Craig and Jennifer Richeson found that white people’s anxiety about a changing America is politically determinative: “making the changing national racial demographics salient led White Americans (regardless of political affiliation) to endorse conservative policy positions more strongly.”

The pundit class assumed that when Trump revealed his sympathies for white supremacists and Nazis—groups which, he said, included some “very fine people”—it would mark a line past which accountability would soon follow. It hasn’t. And that’s in part because stoking racial division and a sense of white grievance has become the core political strategy of Trump’s Republican Party.

You see this acutely in the thousands of anti-immigrant campaign ads GOP candidates have paid for this election cycle—ads like one run by Troy Balderson, the Ohio Republican who won a special election last week, which promised to “stop illegals from taking our jobs.” It draws on the same logic of “you will not replace us”—a belief which researchers have found is widespread among white people (but not among black people): that we live in a zero-sum game of racial competition. When people of color progress, it necessarily comes at white people’s expense.

The people to whom this Trumpian message appeals don’t see themselves as hateful; they see themselves as law-abiding Americans looking out for their own. That’s nothing new: America has always had a material investment in the myth of our innocence, in championing our founding words and not our founding deeds.

There is no better example of this mythmaking than the flourishing of monuments to America’s traitors, who brought millions to war to defend a system that enriched a few at the expense and enslavement of many. In Charlottesville and 1,728 other places across the country, Confederate monuments teach not history but a subtle moral lesson that America will not just tolerate white supremacists, but find ways to justify their cause as one of noble self-preservation.

A year after Charlottesville, it’s time to replace the statues and tell the truth about America. The truth is, the South flourished economically after the civil rights movement unleashed the contributions of her black citizens. The truth is, new immigrants disproportionately create jobs and enrich communities. The truth is, America’s multiracial future is coming, and there don’t have to be two sides—we can make an America for all of us.

Hispanics now the largest racial group in Texas — but not in Austin, by Ryan Maxin, Austin American-Statesman

You wake up one day—today—and discover that Texas demographics have shifted and they'll never go back to what they were. For some, this has been a long-awaited moment. For others, it instills fear and trepidation. And still yet others, a bit anticlimactic, myself included. I somehow thought that this shift had already happened.

In any case, I most appreciate UT Professor Jacqueline Angel's take on the matter with her excellent, and I think, abundantly true comment herein that "Latinos are leading the charge to allay fears by demonstrating the positive benefits of a multicultural society." Indeed, Latinos—like Blacks and other groups—have such a long history of demonstrating the value that we add to society through our many contributions to it.

And these dynamics will continue despite inertia, extremist politics, and forces of exclusion. After all, Latinas/os are not only internally interracial and otherwise highly diverse along axes of language use and preference, generational status (especially immigrant/non-immigrant), levels of acculturation, religion, political party affiliation, gender expression and sexual orientation, and so on, but the vast majority are from this continent and thusly always home. This despite stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and policy agendas that frequently cast them as "other," "outsider," and "inferior." 

Latinas/os have such an incredibly long history of being hybrid and negotiating the complexities of this hybridity—not just in the U.S., but Mexico, too, from where I have just returned. 

We continually encounter this complexity of difference in the intimate spheres of our families and communities, too. I'm not saying this is easy. That would be a mischaracterization. Rather, it's the substance of life and we're all the better for it when we engage, rather than fear or oppose it. 

Instead of building walls, we should be building bridges across these multifaceted dimensions of difference that make life interesting and fulfilling.

The potentially lost opportunity here is that to which Dr. Angel refers, that is, the revitalization of a strong value for diversity for a state and country that need grounding and centering in these very ways.

-Angela Valenzuela

Hispanics now the largest racial group in Texas — but not in Austin

The shift has been on the horizon for decades as Texas' populations diversify

Ryan Maxin

Austin American-Statesman

July 3, 2023 | Austin American-Statesman

Hispanics have become the largest racial demographic group in Texas, new estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau show, capping years of population shifts and providing a potential blueprint for the U.S. as it tracks toward becoming majority-minority.

In July 2022, Latinos made up 40.2% of the state's population, according to estimates, while non-Hispanic white people accounted for 39.8%. It's the first time since the mid-1800s that non-Hispanic white Texans don't compose the largest population in the state.

The shift isn't a surprise. For decades, the share of nonwhite or mixed-race Texans has grown due to immigration, interracial marriage and more people identifying with their ancestral ethnicities. In 2004, the population of non-Hispanic white people dropped below 50% for the first time in almost two centuries.

Considering those factors and Texas' large border with Mexico, the milestone isn't much of a stand-alone achievement, said state Sen. José Menéndez, D-San Antonio. Of more significance, he said, is the potential influence that Latinos' growing population could have.

"The Hispanic population has had an influence on our food, on our culture, on our music, on our literature, on our art, on so many things, and that's wonderful," Menéndez said. "But I think where we should strive to have a bigger impact is ... what can we do to help them achieve higher numbers, proportional numbers in higher education and academia and leadership positions?"

Menéndez, who also chairs the Texas Senate Hispanic Caucus, said the numbers of Latinos across the state are not properly represented in government leadership at all levels. Hispanic populations are diverse within themselves, and Latinos subscribe to various political and ideological beliefs.

He said Texas should model itself after states he believes have done well in electing officials who are representative of the population, like California and Florida.

White population remains largest in Austin, Travis County

The white non-Hispanic population in Austin and Travis County remains the largest racial bloc, according to July 2022 estimates, though both have higher concentrations of Latinos than the U.S. overall.

Census figures show Austin's non-Hispanic white population is 47.8% of the city's people, while its Hispanic population makes up 33.1%. Travis County's data are similar; non-Hispanic white people account for 58.9% of the county, whereas Hispanics make up 19.1%.

Brittney Rodriguez, chief operating officer of the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, said a variety of reasons contribute to the disparity between Austin and the state. As the cost of living in the city rises, Latino residents are being priced out of places they've long lived, she said, and minority-owned businesses are closing at higher rates, leading minority entrepreneurs to relocate.

Austin breaks into top 10 list of largest U.S. cities.See how other Texas cities ranked.

Latinos face substantial barriers in health care and education, Rodriguez added. In Austin, Latinos tend to rely heavily on public transportation, meaning they wake up earlier in the morning for work and arrive home later in the evening.

"I think those are the areas that we've got to be much more conscientious of safeguarding to ensure that the city that we love is kept intact, and the parts of the city that we love are safeguarded for future generations to also enjoy. It's what makes Austin so great," Rodriguez said.

In 2019, the median income for Hispanic households in Travis County was 2.3 times less than that of white households, according to the 2022 community health assessment for Austin and the county. The assessment also found that Latinos were most likely not to have graduated from high school compared with other racial groups.

Several recent legislative and political actions have taken aim at the intersection of education and race that could affect marginalized groups' access to higher education. Texas lawmakers recently passed Senate Bill 17, which prohibits public colleges and universities in the state from maintaining or establishing diversity, equity and inclusion offices and from requiring anyone to provide DEI statements or participate in DEI training starting in 2024.

Texas legislative regular session ends.What higher education bills passed?

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a ruling prohibiting the consideration of race in public and private college admissions nationwide, essentially overturning affirmative action initiatives. The move is expected to affect thousands of students applying for colleges and universities in Texas.

Challenges to Latinos detrimentally affect other populations, experts say

Financial and representative deficiencies faced by Latinos have the potential to translate to widespread issues across populations, said Jacqueline Angel, a University of Texas professor of public affairs and sociology. She asserted that those who express apathy toward challenges affecting other populations will probably experience the pitfalls of those challenges, too.

"A healthier state is a more productive state, and we know that if one doesn't have access to affordable health care, as well as available health care, then that's not going to be possible," Angel said. "We need a healthy nation. We need a healthy state. We need healthy communities that bring everyone together, not tear them apart."

What this means for Texas colleges.U.S. Supreme Court overturns affirmative action.

Angel said people tend to fear those who are different from themselves, but Latinos are leading the charge to allay fears by demonstrating the positive benefits of a multicultural society. Rodriguez cited the role Latinos take in society as proof of those benefits.

"These men and women are an integral part of your, mine and everyone else's day-to-day," Rodriguez said. "From the food on your table to the roadways you drive on, these are the folks who are contributing so much work and making it possible."

Hispanics, Asians drove post-pandemic U.S. population growth, data shows

This trend of ever-greater diversity in our country is applicable to European countries, too. For example, read this blog post by Francesco Ripa titled, Europe is increasingly more diverse—when will city leadership follow suit? With the movement of migrants and refugees, our entire world is becoming diverse. The issue is how we adjust to the demographic changes before us everywhere.

-Angela Valenzuela 

Hispanics, Asians drove post-pandemic U.S. 

population growth, data shows

Updated June 22, 2023 at 3:14 p.m. EDT|Published June 22, 2023 at 12:01 a.m. EDT

By Tara Bahrampour | Washington Post

Amazon employees get off a bus at the grand opening of Amazon HQ2 in Arlington, Va., on June 15. (Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The Washington Post)

Much of the increase is due to an increase in net immigration, Brookings Institution demographer William Frey said

The country’s population has begun to rebound across race and ethnic groups after dipping during the pandemic, new census data released Thursday shows.

The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released Vintage 2022 Population Estimates, which include updated population estimates by age, race and Hispanic origin.

An analysis by William Frey, a senior demographer at the Brookings Institution, showed the White population declining by 668,418 people, compared with a record decline of 809,784 people the previous year. The Hispanic population grew by 1.04 million, compared with 786,622 the year before. Asians and Pacific Islanders increased by 475,679, compared with 240,191 the previous year, and Black people increased by 211,193 compared with 121,787 the year before.

Much of the population increase is due to an increase in net immigration, Frey said. “Immigration nearly tripled compared to the year before and, together, Latinos and Asians make up more than two-thirds of arrivals. This helped to counter a continued, though more modest, decline in the nation’s older native-born White population.”

The D.C. metro area’s increase in population (it grew by 8,849 people after losing 1,772 the year before) was driven by the growth of its Hispanic and Asian populations, according to Frey’s analysis.

Most of the gain in the region came from an increase in the Hispanic population, which almost doubled its gain from the previous year (20,501, compared to 11,855) as well as a gain in the Asian and Pacific Islander population (from 8,847 to 12,152).

The White population continued to decline across the region in larger numbers (27,676 last year compared to 24,020 the previous year). The Black population showed a smaller decline, losing 453 people last year compared to 2,612 the year before.

However, there was a bigger gain of White people in the District itself, which, along with gains for Hispanic people, was largely responsible for its shift from a population decline in 2020-2021 compared with a gain in 2021-2022 (declining by 2,077 vs. growing by 3,012).

By contrast, most suburban counties continued to show White declines, many at larger levels than during 2020-2021, the prime pandemic year. Exceptions were in Alexandria and Arlington, which showed markedly lower White declines in 2021-2022, contributing, along with gains of other racial groups, to their flip from declining populations in 2020-21 to small gains last year.

Asians also had large gains in Fairfax County, and Hispanics and Asians saw large gains in Montgomery and Fairfax counties.

By contrast, most suburban counties continued to show White declines, many at larger levels than during 2020-2021, the prime pandemic year. Exceptions were in Alexandria and Arlington, which showed markedly lower White declines in 2021-2022, contributing, along with gains of other racial groups, to their flip from declining populations in 2020-21 to small gains last year.

Asians also had large gains in Fairfax County, and Hispanics and Asians saw large gains in Montgomery and Fairfax counties.

“The eldest of the echo boomers have started to reach or exceed the nation’s median age of 38.9,” she said. Noting that birthrates have gradually declined over the past two decades, she said, “Without a rapidly growing young population, the U.S. median age will likely continue its slow but steady rise.”

Median age is the age at which half of the population is older and half of the population is younger. The data released Thursday reflects the period from July 2021 to July 2022.

A third of U.S. states had a median age above 40.0 in 2022, with Maine having the highest, at 44.8, followed by New Hampshire, at 43.3. The lowest median ages were in Utah, at 31.9, and Texas, 35.5. Hawaii had the largest increase in median age among states, up 0.4 years, to 40.7.

Median age was 34.8 in Washington, D.C., 40.1 in Maryland, and 39.0 in Virginia.

No states experienced a decrease in median age, but Alabama, Maine, Tennessee and West Virginia, showed no change, as did the District.

Among counties with populations of 100,000 or more, several of the oldest were in Florida, including Sumter County, home to a substantial retirement community, which has a median age of 68. Several of the youngest counties were home to large universities.

By Tara Bahrampour

Tara Bahrampour, a staff writer based in Washington, D.C., writes about aging, generations and demography. She has also covered immigration and education and has reported from the Middle East and North Africa, and from the republic of Georgia. Twitter

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month, everybody! A way to think about this is if we can get education right for this demographic, we can get it right for our nation. We are nowhere near at a loss for knowing what must be done. Quite the opposite. 

We have decades of research on "what works" for Latino/a/x children and other children of color. This issue is not evidence, but politics. Our communities must redouble their efforts to advocate for quality bilingual and dual language programs, adequate school funding, Ethnic Studies, culturally relevant and sustaining curricula, teachers that are prepared to teach this demographic, tutorial supports, community schools, parent engagement initiatives, university-district partnerships, grow your own educator programs, eliminating high-stakes testing and implementing authentic forms of assessment that promote deep learning, and so on. Higher education is also part and parcel to this narrative. We totally know what must be done.

If you're in Texas, let's also protect Trans Kids of all races and ethnicities. Equality Texas has been doing the heavy lift on this and more need to be involved. It's shocking to learn that the Texas State Legislature currently has at least 70 anti-transgender bills—and growing!  We need to oppose these anti-children and anti-family bills. Our kids are already traumatized by all this venomous hatred and distortion. Here's how to get involved at the Texas State Capitol: https://www.equalitytexas.org/get-involved-at-the-capitol/

Here is an excellent state-by-state breakdown provided by Child Trends of the Latina/o/x student population.

-Angela Valenzuela

Sep 15, 2021

HISPANIC FAMILY FACTS

share on facebookPrint

Latino Children Represent Over a Quarter of the Child Population Nationwide and Make Up at Least 40 Percent in 5 Southwestern States

by Yiyu Chen & Lina Guzman | Child Trends

Latinoa children (ages 18 and under) numbered 18.6 million in 2019, making up 26 percent of the nation’s total child population. While Latino children disproportionately reside in the Southwest, they comprise a sizeable share of the child population in all 50 states—and at least 25 percent of the child population in 12 states.

The percentage of states’ total child population that is Latino ranges from 2 percent in Vermont to 61 percent in New Mexico. Latino children account for roughly half of the state’s total child population in 3 states in the Southwest—New Mexico, California, and Texas—and exceed 40 percent of the child population in 2 other Southwestern states—Nevada and Arizona. Outside the Southwest, Latino children now account for 25 percent to nearly 40 percent of the child population in 7 states (Florida, Colorado, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Illinois), 10 percent to nearly 25 percent in 22 states (Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Kansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah, Nebraska, Oklahoma, North Carolina, Delaware, Maryland, Georgia, Wyoming, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Tennessee, Alaska) and the District of Columbia, and less than 10 percent in 16 states (South Carolina, Minnesota, Michigan, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Kentucky, South Dakota, North Dakota, Montana, Mississippi, Maine, West Virginia, Vermont).b

In terms of total population of Latino children by state, California, Texas, Florida, and New York each have more than 1 million young Latino residents—4.6 million in California, 3.7 million in Texas, 1.4 million in Florida, and just over 1 million in New York. Arizona, Illinois, and New Jersey (in order of population) have the next-highest Latino child populations, ranging from roughly 500,000 to 750,000. Around 200,000 to 400,000 Latino children live in Colorado, North Carolina, Georgia, Washington, Pennsylvania, New Mexico, Nevada, Virginia, Massachusetts, and Maryland (also ordered by population). Latino children also have a substantial and growing presence in several Midwestern states: Roughly 180,000 Latino children live in Michigan and Indiana, and just over 160,000 Latino children live in Ohio.

FOOTNOTES

a We use “Hispanic” and “Latino” interchangeably. Consistent with the U.S. Census definition, this includes individuals who have origins in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Cuba, as well as other “Hispanic, Latino or Spanish” origins.

b All lists of states in this paragraph are ordered by percentage of the state’s child population that is Hispanic.

Western Imperialism, Globalization and The real reason why critical race theory is under attack

Thoughtful piece by University of Milwaukee Wisconsin Associate Professor Dr. Javier Tapia who places the current attack on CRT against the backdrop of globalization that tracks back to Western imperialism. Great for the college classroom, he references the following pertinent readings:

• I. Wallerstein, “The Modern World-System” 
• Eric Wolf, “Europe and the People without History” 
• Edward Luce, “The Retreat of Western Liberalism” 
• Ian Bremmer, “Us vs Them”

Dr. Tapia is correct in saying that the facts of history about which he writes are scarcely taught in K-12 schooling anywhere and not even fully throughout the academy. Instead, he suggests, this extremism exists because of an enduring "mindset" made for another time but with a long reach into the present.

While this is manifestly true, what should not get lost his how this mindset finds expression in fascist logics of imminent concern as well expressed in this recent piece by Paul W. Kahn titled, Opinion: Texas bounty hunters, or a private army?

-Angela Valenzuela

#SayNoToFascism

OPINION: The real reason why critical race theory is under attack

July 6, 2021 by Dr. Javier Tapia | Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service

Editor’s note: Have something on your mind? “Community Voices” is the place to let Milwaukee hear what you have to say. To be considered, we need your name, email address and phone number for verification. Please email your submissions to info@milwaukeenns.org.

Five states (Idaho, Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa and Tennessee) have passed laws against the teaching of critical race theory while similar bills have been introduced in 19 other states, including Wisconsin.

A common element in these bills is that public schools should not present the foundation of this country in a negative light nor discuss how the white/Caucasian (white from now on) population has benefited at the expense of racial/ethnic minority populations. Critics further argue that critical race theory is divisive.

Critical race theory can be defined as an intellectual framework used in academia to explore and analyze racial inequality in society. A key element of the theory is that society’s legal, economic and educational institutions operate (often in subtle ways) to marginalize racial and ethnic minority populations. As such, this process of marginalization tends to benefit the white population, primarily the wealthy class. Along with critical theory and multicultural education, critical race theory promote equity in society.

We can trace critical race theory to the ‘70s when a number of scholars like Derrick Bell, Richard Delgado and Kimberlé Crenshaw pointed out that the legal system has played a key role in maintaining racial inequality in society in a systemic and pervasive way. Thus, the negative effects of systemic racism is not confined to the legal system, but it is also present in unequal access to jobs, housing and health care as broadly discussed by Diana Kendall in her book “Social Problems in a Diverse Society.” The effects of systemic racism became very visible when the African American and Latino communities were greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Even though the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was crucial in its attempt to end discrimination, current events (as discussed below) indicate that we still have work to do. When we take a closer look at the criticisms against critical race theory (and multicultural education) we find them lacking in substance and critical analyses.

In order to understand the current context for this debate, we need to go back to the rise of the European powers in the 15th century. Immanuel Wallerstein’s “The Modern World-System” and Eric Wolf’s “Europe and the People without History” illustrate how the British, French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese empires exploited human and natural resources in Asia, Africa and the Americas for their enrichment. A common element in these colonization practices was the idea that European values and practices were better, and this justified their exploitation in those areas of the world.

A similar mindset was present in the first white-European settlers who arrived into what today is the United States. The white population generated their economic growth by taking land away from Native Americans (and sending them to reservations), importing Black slaves from Africa and by taking land from Mexico. The actions of the white population were guided by the idea of manifest destiny present in the 19th century. According to this belief, God gave white Europeans the right to expand from the Atlantic to the Pacific and all across North America. This view “justified” the dispossession of Native Americans, the U.S. invasion of Mexico and the expansion of slavery territories.

The critics of critical race theory and their efforts to ban its teaching through state legislatures make it seem as if it is rampart in K-12 schools. This is false! A more accurate discussion on European imperialism and U.S. history are present only in certain courses at the university level and a few courses that incorporate aspects of multicultural education at the high school level.

In my view, the efforts to ban critical race theory reflect changing demographics and the struggle for political control of the country. Reports from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that whites will become a minority by the year 2045. We see a clear pattern of white population decline and an increase in the number of racial/ethnic minorities. In the year 2000, whites represented 75% of the total population followed by Hispanics (12.5%), African Americans (12.3%) and Asian (3.6%). In 2020, we have Whites (60%), Hispanics (18.5%), African Americans (13.4%) and Asian (5.9%). Projections for 2060 are White (44.3%), Hispanics (27.5%), African Americans (15%) and Asians (9.1%). Of great importance is the fact that the white population is aging, and racial/ethnic minorities will become the engines of economic growth.

Critics of critical race theory cherry-pick information to argue that racism is no longer an issue and often point out that Asian Americans have a higher level of educational attainment than whites. This view ignores the different ways in which the various racial/ethnic groups have been incorporated into the U.S. and how they are viewed by white society. Thus, we have Vietnamese people incorporated as U.S. allies during the Vietnam War. Globalization has led to the expansion of middle class people in China and India, and many have migrated to the U.S. with a college degree. Nevertheless, the political climate in the last four years indicate the prevalence of racism and prejudice toward all non-white people. Thus, we have seen the murder of George Floyd, efforts to stop the Black Lives Matter movement, attacks toward Mexico, Mexicans, Muslims and also toward Asian Americans, who have been blamed (without basis) as being responsible for COVID-19.

Edward Luce’s “The Retreat of Western Liberalism” and Ian Bremmer’s  “Us vs Them” illustrate the factors leading to economic stagnation for a segment of the white population (primarily blue collar without a college degree). Resentment in this population led to the rise of populism and paved the way to victory for former President Donald Trump. In this context, it is easy to blame racial/ethnic minority people for the problems of the country. For many people, MAGA represented Making America Great by making it white. At the end, attacks against critical race theory and multicultural education are efforts by a sector of the white population to maintain control of the schools and society. This is un-American! Critical race theory and multiculturalism promote “Liberty and Justice for All.”

Dr. Javier Tapia is an associate professor of educational studies and community studies at UW-Milwaukee with a specialty in public anthropology, Latino affairs and global educational studies.

"Latinos Bring New Energy to America's DNA," by United States Hispanic Leadership Institute

I love this graphic out of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) that I think we should share liberally everywhere. Our young people, in particular, need to know and embrace this very positive notion that Latinos are most definitely adding new energy to America's DNA. 

To this, I would add that we are doing this through a replenishing of our own DNA that tracks back to the native peoples of this continent, a DNA that has prevailed against all odds.

There's nothing to fear and much to celebrate. We as a country need to pivot and engage in less fear mongering and more celebrating. If I can't dance, I won't have a revolution! 😊

Sí se puede! Yes we can!

-Angela Valenzuela

The 2020 Census has confirmed that the Hispanization of America 2.0 is effectively underway. The original HoA surfaced following the 1990 Census. Over the next 30 years, Hispanics made unprecedented inroads into American life and culture. Latinos became the leading actors in films. Our music dominated the industry. Salsa outsold ketchup in grocery stores. Nachos outsold hotdogs at baseball games. Latinos started winning the Nobel prize in literature and science. The era of blending in gave way to standing out. The graphic above provides an overview of the accelerated growth and impact of Latinos on the American landscape. Whether it's making America great again or building back better, Latinos arguably are the driving force of progress. The 2020 Census has verified what we Hispanics saw coming throughout the last decade. Latinos accounted for over half of the total population growth in the United States. Eighty percent of all new businesses were started by Latinos. Latino voter registration increased from 11 million to 18 million, and turnout increased from 6.5 million to 16 million. Latino purchasing power increased from $1 trillion to $1.7 trillion, the 2nd largest in America. The Latino GDP went from 10th largest in the world to 8th, surpassing Italy and Germany. Please share this with anybody who says we are a sleeping giant. ¡La raza no duerme! The Hispanization of America 2.0 is energizing every aspect of American society. Kudos to the We Are All Human Foundation and its flagship program, Hispanic Star, for sharing this very informative graphic.

About USHLI For 39 years, the mission of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute (USHLI) has been and continues to be to fulfill the promises and principles of democracy by promoting education and leadership development, empowering Latinos and similarly disenfranchised groups through civic engagement and research, and by maximizing participation in the electoral process.