Changing demographic calls for change in policies
America’s ethnic makeup is rapidly changing. Projections show that by 2050, white Americans will no longer comprise a majority of the country. The region seeing the most change in the U.S. is the South. The horrors of slavery, the Jim Crow era and zealous resistance to the civil rights movement still haunt and shape the South in many ways. But in recent years, a “New South” has emerged that mixes some of the traditional conservative attitudes with large metropolises and ever-expanding suburbs. The economy has grown, and so has the population. Low cost of living, beautiful weather and good old-fashioned hospitality have made the South a promising destination. But for it to continue to grow, some political attitudes must change.
Latinos are the fastest growing ethnicity in the country and the South. From 2000 to 2010, the Latino population grew by 57 percent across the South, more than in any other region, and the number of Hispanics in six Southern states, including South Carolina, doubled. Of the top 60 metropolitan areas in the U.S. ranked in terms of Latino population, 21 are in the South.
However, the South has also been home to a significant amount of legislation that disproportionately affects Hispanics. Texas passed a voter identification bill blocked by the Supreme Court partially for that reason. South Carolina’s voter ID bill was upheld, since it makes it easier for persons affected to gain a photo ID. But that doesn’t change the fact that the law, for lack of a better word, targets minorities and especially Latinos. Several other Southern states have passed similar laws.
Alabama also passed the most restrictive immigration law in the country, modeled after Arizona’s controversial law. The law’s intent was to make nearly every government service unavailable to anyone who cannot prove his or her immigration status. The law essentially demands discrimination by requiring officers to check the immigration status of any persons they suspect are illegal immigrants. This law and multiple others like it in the South have had tremendous impacts on the lives of Hispanic families.
In 2050, Latinos are expected to compromise 29 percent of the nation. That is a very significant number, and given how the demography of the South has changed over the past decade, this region would likely see a considerable amount of that growth. That is why political attitudes in the South must change. That is not to say everyone must learn Spanish or the border should be wide open to anyone. But at the very least, we must stop passing laws that discriminate against and alienate Latinos. They are a large part of the giant melting pot that is America and the South. Don’t try and change it; just adjust.