Progress 2050 has teamed up with PolicyLink, a national research and action institute advancing economic and social equity, to host a series of roundtables around the country to discuss the demographic projection that by the year 2050, if not sooner, there will no longer be an ethnic majority in our nation. These roundtables bring together local thought leaders, advocates, activists, and academics to discuss the impact of the demographic shift and the challenges and opportunities a more diverse nation brings. They also explore a new vision of 2050 and which investments we need to make to create broadly shared prosperity. The first roundtable took place on July 11, 2011, in Arlington, Virginia.
Virginia was chosen as a roundtable location because it is one of the states at the forefront of demographic change. Dr. Cai of the Cooper Center for Public Service, who was a presenter at the roundtable, explained that in the past decade alone the state’s Asian population grew by 220,000 and its Latino population grew by 300,000. One in every 10 Virginians was foreign born. There are almost 100 languages other than English spoken in homes across Virginia, with Spanish, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Tagalog among the most popular.
The infographic below illustrates the impact of the demographic change occurring across Virginia and the growth of small business ownership among people of color. It also projects the growth of school-age children through 2030. The Virginia roundtable focused on the extraordinary impact growing communities of color have had and will have on strengthening the state’s workforce through activities such as small business ownership.
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Progress 2050 is a project of the Center for American Progress that develops new ideas for an increasingly diverse America. See their project page for more information.