Washington, D.C. — On the heels of midterm elections dominated by polarized narratives around immigration and demographic change, two rural Nebraska communities offer a refreshing example of what is possible when diverse residents roll up their sleeves and work to find common ground. On November 14, the Center for American Progress will release a new report titled “Proactive and Patient: Managing Immigration and Demographic Change in two Rural Nebraska Communities,” based on in-depth fieldwork conducted in Lexington and Madison, Nebraska. The report includes lessons that policymakers can draw from the towns’ challenges and successes and can help point Americans in other rural communities in the direction of a more positive future as they welcome their newest neighbors.
The report, authored by panelist Sara McElmurry, is the second of a two-part series and details the fruits of a three-decades long demographic transformation that the Nebraska towns of Lexington and Madison are enjoying. The two towns had a combined foreign-born adult population of only 124 people in the 1990 U.S. census. Three decades later, nearly half of Lexington’s adult population and one-third of Madison’s adult population were born outside of the United States. Hailing from all corners of the world, newcomers accounted for all population growth between 1990 and 2016 in the two thriving towns.
The event will feature a panel to highlight the policies and practices implemented to manage the changing demographics in these communities. The panelists will discuss the role that key institutions can play in managing demographic change; the successes and decentralized efforts of dedicated civic leaders; and the power of those unique characteristics innate to small towns.
The first report of the two-part series focuses on the economic contributions of immigrants to various industries in rural communities.
To receive an embargoed copy of the upcoming report, please email Rafael Medina at [email protected]. The event will be livestreamed here.
Press are welcome to RSVP by following this link.
WHO:
Introductory remarks:
Winnie Stachelberg, Executive Vice President, External Affairs, Center for American Progress
Featured panelists:
Sara McElmurry, Communications Strategist and Nonresident Fellow, The Chicago Council on Global Affairs
Ali Noorani, Executive Director, National Immigration Forum
Dora Vivas, City Council Member, Lexington, Nebraska
Kyle Hoehner, Principal, Lexington High School
Moderator:
Nicole Prchal Svajlenka, Senior Policy Analyst, Immigration Policy, Center for American Progress
WHEN:
Wednesday, November 14, 2018
10:30 am – 12:00 pm ET
WHERE:
Center for American Progress
1333 H Street NW, 10th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20005
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Rafael Medina at [email protected] or 202.478.5313.