America by the Numbers: A Nation Primarily Comprised of Multicultural Individuals
The President of Futuro Media Group, Maria Hinojosa, along with EthniFacts' Guy Garcia, and Joshua Hoston, a fire-fighter from Idaho, have elected to profile the "Multicultural Majority Tipping Point" in the upcoming PBS documentary series "America By The Numbers with Maria Hinojosa," which was publicized in Times Square on a Friday morning late last month.
The screen, which was located west of Father Duffy Square, served as a background to the press conference that discussed America's new position as a nation primarily comprised of multicultural individuals.
The EthniFacts CulturEdge Countdown Clock was employed to track and document multicultural progression by the minute; the shift occurred on Aug. 22 at 7:42 p.m. EDT (or 7:46 p.m. EDT, based on recalculations). The tipping point was calculated by use of the Interethnic Proximity Index (IPI), a proprietary algorithm that acknowledges intermarried couples, multiracial populations, mixed households and similar factors to help provide an accurate indicator of multicultural influence in American society and new mainstream consumer markets.
Previous Census projections indicated that the U.S. wouldn't reach this multicultural milestone until 2043, however the CulturEdge Countdown Clock that is featured on America Reimagined shows that the change has already occurred.
"The racial, cultural and social landscape of America is rapidly changing and we need to address this palpable shift as a nation together," said Hinojosa. "The rising influence and empowerment of Latinos and other multicultural groups, along with other demographic shifts, is evident everywhere. There are and will be inherent challenges and opportunities that these majority groups face and it is crucial to bring the discussion to the forefront of our national dialogue."
The emerging dominance of the multicultural demographic indicates a clear need for economic, cultural and social reevaluation, one that speaks to the transformation in numbers. The new American mainstream shows an upsurge of mixed raced individuals, Asians, Latinos, African-Americans, youths, women, and LGBTQ community members, all of whom will increasingly show great might when it comes to political elections, purchasing power, the arts, commerce and culture activeness, and that might will "affect every aspect of contemporary life across the country."
With Hinojosa at the helm, the fresh series will share the stories behind the numbers, depict details of the shifting demographic landscape, and offer colorful and compelling portraits of individuals and communities. The award-winning news anchor and correspondent for PBS and NPR will continue her tradition of uncovering America's untold stories and will shine light on critical issues, informing millions about the changing cultural and political landscape in U.S. and abroad.
"America by the Numbers," launches in fall 2014, and will be the first national documentary to address these issues. The eight half-hour episodes will be produced by the Futuro Media Group and presented by WGBH Boston.
The first episode will air on two public media networks at the same time. WORLD Channel, the 24/7 digital multicast public media channel, will broadcast the first episode on Thursday, Oct. 2, and PBS will begin airing episodes on Saturday, Oct. 4, 2014.