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Center for American Progress Center for American Progress
Projects Progress 2050

Progress 2050 is a project of the Center for American Progress that develops new ideas for an increasingly diverse America. The United States will become a nation with no clear racial or ethnic majority by the year 2050. This expected transition provides the progressive movement with an exciting opportunity to help America live up to its ideals of equality and justice for all.

Progress 2050 recognizes that diversity can be our nation’s greatest competitive advantage and seeks to build a progressive agenda that is more inclusive and reflects our country’s rich racial and ethnic makeup. We do this by promoting innovative policy ideas, facilitating honest dialogue about the intersection of race and policy, analyzing demographics, and developing new leaders.

Progress 2050 Video: Progress 2050: Promoting New Ideas for a Changing Nation: A video from Progress 2050 shows where the United States has come from, where it is heading, and how diversity has played an important role in our history.

census map Interactive Map: America's Changing Demographics: Explore the changing demographics of the United States as people of color increasingly become a majority across the nation.

latino woman with inhaler Progress 2050: Working Toward a More Inclusive Progressive Agenda: A look at what the Progress 2050 project is and its major work.


Race & Beyond

Sam Fulwood French Voters Offer the United States a Campaign Lesson: Sam Fulwood III hopes U.S. voters choose moderation and tolerance this fall just like France did last week.

Featured Content

Texas voters The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Texas’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Texas’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the May 29 primary.

Mountain West infographic Infographic: Political and Demographic Shifts in the Mountain West: An infographic by Progress 2050 and the Progressive Studies Program shows how political and demographic shifts in the Mountain West region will impact the 2012 election.

Hispanic school children The Top 10 Facts About Children of Color in the United States: Vanessa Cárdenas provides important information about this rapidly increasing portion of our population.

Supporters of marriage equality and obama The Real Reason Blacks Won’t Abandon President Obama Over Marriage Equality : The black community’s support for President Obama is not only about accepting a broader understanding of family but also social and economic policies that help their communities, write Sophia Kerby and Aisha C. Moodie-Mills.

infographic thumb Infographic: President Obama's Marriage Equality 'Evolution' Is Complete: Sophia Kerby and Crosby Burns show that President Obama's decision to support same-sex marriage is in line with public opinion.

people watch music performance Toward 2050 in North Carolina: Julie Ajinkya and Rachel Wilf document demographic change in North Carolina and what the country can learn from the state's experience.

Demographic change in North Carolina Infographic: Demographic Change in North Carolina: An infographic by Progress 2050 explains the shift in demographics in North Carolina.

Early NC voters in line The Top 10 Things You Should Know About North Carolina’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how North Carolina’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the May 8 primary.

African American Grandmother and daugther at clinic The Top 10 Benefits Women of Color Are Seeing Under Obamacare: Abigail Ridley-Kerr and Rachel Wilf outline how the Affordable Care Act helps women of color.

Students walking on campus How Student Debt Impacts Students of Color: Sophia Kerby breaks down why students of color will be more affected by a rise in student loan interest rates.

AAPI Heritage Month reception The Top 10 Facts About Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders: Rachel Wilf and Abigail Ridley-Kerr present 10 facts showing the strength and diversity of this growing population.

band performing at expo The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Pennsylvania’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Pennsylvania’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the April 24 primary.

Immigrant march on Brooklyn Bridge The Top 10 Things You Should Know About New York’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how New York’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the April 24 primary.

Black women wait to apply for jobs Unequal Pay Day for Black and Latina Women: Julie Ajinkya presents the basic facts about the deep pay inequality facing so many women of color in our economy today.

Single mother of color Pay Equity and Single Mothers of Color: Sophia Kerby argues that wage and wealth disparities that hurt women of color also hurts the country’s economy.

Latina worker 10 Facts About Latino Women and Pay Inequity: Vanessa Cárdenas gives 10 facts on how Latinas still earn significantly less than men and their white, African American, and Asian counterparts.

Father hugs his daughters The State of Communities of Color in the U.S. Economy: Christian E. Weller, Julie Ajinkya, and Jane Farrell explain how communities of color were hit particularly hard by the Great Recession in 2007 and how they're still struggling as the economy recovers.

nom bus Race-baiting to Stop Marriage Equality Is Wrong: Julie Ajinkya slams the conservative organization for its hateful tactics, which are sure to backfire while uniting progressives.

Lilly Ledbetter, VP Biden, and Valerie Jarrett Slow Progress Toward a Representative Federal Workforce: James Hairston and Vanessa Cárdenas argue that the federal government must do more to increase the number of people of color, particularly Hispanics, throughout its workforce.

A field in the San Joaquin Valley Toward 2050 in California: Julie Ajinkya looks at the lessons learned in California’s San Joaquin Valley from demographic change that will soon be true for the rest of the nation.

Holding the American flag Toward 2050 in California: Julie Ajinkya looks at the lessons that Los Angeles’s experience with demographic change holds for the rest of the nation.

corrine brown and jeff triplett ‘Stand Your Ground’ Law Leads to Trayvon Martin’s Death: Julie Ajinkya details why Florida’s self-defense laws ran amok in the shooting death of a young black man walking home from the store.

people in unemployment line Ryan Budget Would Cause More Pain for Communities of Color : Daniella Gibbs Leger outlines how Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget hurts the middle class and communities of color.

Gov. Patt Quinn and supporters celebrate passing the Illinois DREAM Act The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Illinois’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Illinois’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the March 20 primary.

youth at juvenile detention center Disparities in School Discipline Move Students of Color Toward Prison: Newly released federal data examining school discipline highlights racial basis, says Rachel Wilf who suggests the disparity feeds the school-to-prison pipeline.

Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Alabama’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Kelley examine how Alabama’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the March 13 primary.

Crowded prison floor The Top 10 Most Startling Facts About People of Color and Criminal Justice in the United States: Sophia Kerby examines some of the most troubling racial disparities in our criminal-justice system and makes the case for a new movement for racial justice in America.

Latina businesswomen Unleashing Women’s Economic Potential: Denying women’s workforce potential and entrepreneurship denies us all, writes Julie Ajinkya.

women sitting around table The Top 5 Facts About Women in Our Criminal Justice System: Julie Ajinkya outlines the major issues facing women in the criminal justice system as the incarceration rate for women in our country continues to climb.

Anti-H.B. 87 sign The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Georgia’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Georgia’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the March 6 primary.

Massachusetts voting The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Massachusetts’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Massachusetts’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the March 6 primary.

People vote in Ohio The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Ohio’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Ohio’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the March 6 primary.

The Top 10 Things You Should Know About Virginia’s Demographic Changes and Immigration Politics: Vanessa Cárdenas and Angela Maria Kelley examine how Virginia’s growing communities of color and immigrants are impacting the state’s economy and electorate in advance of the March 6 primary.

Arizona’s Demographic Changes: Vanessa Cardenas, Sophia Kerby, and Rachel Wilf examine how Arizona’s growing communities of color are impacting the state.

Debunking Poverty Myths and Racial Stereotypes: A quick look at the facts about social benefit programs and their recipients.

Voter ID Laws Target the Most Vulnerable: Vanessa Cárdenas explains why states’ increasing voter ID requirements will prevent millions from participating in our political process.

Obama Steps Up for Communities of Color: Daniella Gibbs Leger parses the president’s latest budget to see how communities of color fare in education, housing, and jobs.

Pell Grants Suffer a Serious Setback: Julie Ajinkya and Sophia Kerby demonstrate how a proposal to lower the time limit in the Pell Grant program disproportionately affects the most vulnerable students.

How “Occupy Our Homes” Speaks to Communities of Color: John Griffith, Jasmin Jones, and Sophia Kerby discuss how the "Occupy Our Homes" movement relates to communities of color.

Progress 2050