News21′s “Changing America” theme produced a range of stories relevant to ethnicity and race. See specifically those from Maryland(“New Voters”), Arizona State (“Latino America”) and Southern California (“Southwestern Shifts”).
- California's Tribal Cleansing
A growing number of California tribes are setting a grim precedent by purging their own members. At stake is who controls both the nation’s richest Indian gaming industry and a powerful new state lobby. Those who have been kicked out are fighting back, but is anyone listening?
- Pentecostals Ascendant in L.A.'s Little Central America
Los Angeles houses the largest community of Central Americans outside of Central America itself. More and more, members of that community have traded their traditional Catholic roots for new, Pentecostal lives. Of the 5,000 Hispanic churches within the city, 94 percent are now Pentecostal, and the greater the number of converts, the more that Guatemalan, El Salvaradoran and Honduran contingent will change the identity of Christianity in this southwestern metropolis.
- Children of Immigrants Face Struggle
The children of immigrants in California carry the legacy of their parents’ sacrifices and the promise of a better future for themselves and the state. But breaking free from cycles of poverty is a debilitating struggle. Latino youth in both Los Angeles and the iconic farm worker city of Delano face rigid barriers to social ascension.
- Tribeless: A California Indian Fights to Get In
Mark Lucero found a kind of salvation in his Native American heritage, but when he tried to rejoin the tribe to which his family belonged, he was denied membership. Later, his entire extended family was kicked out after their ancestral legitimacy was challenged. Lucero represents a growing number of California Indians who, once displaced by the dominant white culture, are now being displaced by other Native Americans.
- The Asian Face of Las Vegas
A look at the fastest-growing Asian community in America.
- Arab-Americans Education Their Own
With a mission to maintain students’ Arab and American identities, Star International Academy reflects the conservative values of Dearborn Heights, Mich.
- Fighting Battles: Latinos in the Military
Fighting Battles tells the stories of Latinos and their experiences in the military, from the first non-citizen U.S. soldier killed in Iraq to an activist who is trying to counter the military’s recruitment efforts in heavily Latino communities. The stories are told in video, text and photos. A Flex/Flash presentation is used to present data in a visually compelling way.
- Teaching Pipeline Runs Straight Out of New Orleans
In New Orleans, the demand for teachers outweighs the local supply. Programs like Teach for America have moved in to fill the gap. Now, some say, these out-of-towners clog the pipeline.
- Upper Peninsula History: American Indian Education
Since the European arrival in the United States, formal education has been a sorrowful experience for many American Indians. The results? High high-school dropout rates. Click on the time line to track the beginnings of the problem and then learn how education has evolved and improved over time for this population. Hear Upper Peninsula tribal historians describe their local educational histories.
- Changing Policy: Exploring E-Verify
The national E-Verify program helps employers avoid hiring illegal immigrants. This project examines the program in Arizona and Illinois and shows how naturalized citizens are much more likely to be falsely flagged by the system and to be discriminated against. It includes stories of two legislators – one whose son was shot by an illegal immigrant and another who experienced discrimination as a child. Text stories, photos and video.
- The New Town Square
Explore with resident from three Northern California towns as they struggle to define community in an increasingly suburbanized landscape. This short introductory video blends old techniques (stop motion animation) with the digital platform. Other elements in the package include an interactive map illustrating how these three towns have grown and changed over the last century, and a series of maps where residents describe the places where they find their community.
- A 14-Year-Old's Life on the Ojibwe Rez
Leah Carrick, 14, is a member of the Ojibwe Indian tribe and grew up on the Bay Mills Indian Community in Brimley, Mich. Leah takes us inside her home to show us what she loves about rural life on the reservation and hints at her hopes for the future.
- Refuge on the Michigan Reservation: 3 Teens Up Close
Educators have long worried about the grim statistics surrounding American Indian high-school students. Dropout rates in particular have remained stubborn and high, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Fifteen percent of American Indian kids nationwide drop out of school, a rate second only to Hispanic students, at 21 percent.
American Indian tribes in Michigan are trying to lower these dropout rates by creating their own reservation charter schools. Hear three American Indian teens talk about their experiences in these schools.
- Latino Kids Show Grit to Gain Education
Building Success turns the tables on most stories about Latinos and education, focusing on programs in Phoenix and Tulsa, Okla., that have won national recognition for helping Latino students close the achievement gap. A Flash video introduces the project, which is then told through video, using a unique player that allows the user to access stories, graphics and data without exiting the video.
- Community: A Diverse Generation Explores its Choices
Young people, from artists to activists, organize themselves around shared experiences or values to connect with each another.
- Multiracial America: An Emerging Voice
People who identify as multiracial make up the fastest-growing demographic in the country. This package includes stories about individuals and the implications of changing racial identity as well as profiles of two communities – Columbia, Md., and the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia – that are microcosms of a multiracial America. Text stories, photos, graphics, timeline, data, slideshow, video tag player.
- New Latino Voters
An analysis of voter survey data underscores how this fast-growing demographic will impact politics. Other stories, based in Fresno and Allensworth, Calif., and in Springfield, Ark., illustrate how immigration and voting patterns are changing. Text stories, photos, graphics, timeline, data, slideshow, video.
- Climate Refugees: Yup'ik Towns Fight Erosion
In Alaska, coastal Yup’ik communities are being forced to abandon their homes due to accelerating erosion and increased flooding. This package investigates how our society’s energy habits impact remote towns and asks the question: Who ultimately pays for our energy use? Text, photos, video, interactive map.
- Identity: A Diverse Generation Explores its Choices
This collection of stories explores ways young people form a sense of who they are and what they stand for though culture, morality, ethnicity, politics and sexuality.
- Analyzing 'Immigration' Amnesty
This is a story about the experiences of two communities – Albuquerque, N.M., which was significantly affected by the 1986 amnesty bill, and Culpeper, Va., where a similar bill would have a huge impact today. The story is largely told through text, with the addition of a Twitter widget that displays discussions of the topic and makes it easy to start new discussions.
- A Diverse Generation Confronts its Future
This series of stories shows how young people connect with those they love — friends, parents, siblings and partners.
- Bollywood, the American Way:
One young woman, hooked on Indian cinema on a long plane ride, turned her obsession into a full-time project and created, The Bollywood Ticket. Video, text.
- Sibling Dynamics in Immigrant Families
This series, through the voices of several adult children of immigrants, explores what happens when the next generation’s culture and values collide. Video, text, photos.
- This Muslim-American Life:
A six-story package explores the lives of second-gen Muslim-Americans from various perspectives: culture, arts, community, young adults’ activist, artistic voices and more. Text, video, graphics.
- Navigating the Twists and Turns of Interfaith Marriage
If dating someone of a different faith is tricky, then marrying someone of a different faith can be downright difficult and problematic. Whether a couple about to enter into matrimony is Catholic and Jewish, or Muslim and Mormon, or Buddhist and Protestant, uniting the traditions, cultures and beliefs of two people, and two families, is undeniably complex. Text, video, sidebars.
- A Monorail Breaks Racial Boundaries
High School students in Baton Rouge came up with a plan to unite black and white neighborhoods — build a monorail. Join their teacher, Leroy Johnson, and his friends as they give you a little tour and explain their dream.