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The White City
Last week, NewGeography.com published an article called The White City. The premise is that progressive cities tend to have a lower population of African Americans and don’t create as many opportunities for diversity. Austin is one of the cities specifically mentioned.
My first reaction is to take issue with this article based on the data. When Ryan Robinson, the Austin City Demographer, visited PlantR last February, he showed data that anglos now comprise less than half of the population of Austin. This full spectrum of ethnicity isn’t reflected in this article.
However, I also want to sit with the point of this article. It is at least worth considering the challenges that it raises. How do you respond? How do you see the relationship between the Progressive label of Austin and our changing demographics?
Mando Rayo said...
1I think it’s disconnected. We have an increasing Hispanic population and most of them aren’t connected to the progressive or even mainstream networks of Austin. It’s like living in two different cities. There are and will be a lot of challenges, especially with poverty and with the economy, but we have to make intentional efforts to reach out to marginalized groups and bring them into the mainstream whether for services or as contributors of our society.
Adelante,
Mando
10/28/09 9:14 PM | Comment Link