America By The Numbers with Maria Hinojosa: Clarkston Georgia is a documentary that looks at the current population in the U.S. during what is the largest demographic change in history. In the documentary Hinojosa visited Clarkson Georgia, a town of 7,500 people that has gone from being 90 percent white in the 1980’s to less than 14 percent white now.
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“It’s happening across the country, it’s the feature of America on steroids,” Hinojosa said. “What happened in Clarkson Georgia is that it became a refugee relocation spot so in a matter of about 20 years that demographic change happened at hyper-speed.”
Hinojosa says the demographic change is a challenge in Arizona where tough immigration laws like SB1070 are born.
“We understand that there is a lot of concern about what has happened in Arizona in what some people consider was a quick amount of time,” she said. “But this change is only going to continue, you can’t legislate away demographic change.”
The Latino demographic grew over 40 percent in the last decade, Hinojosa said and states like Georgia and Arizona have had to adjust to the change.
“There’s a certain reality that you can’t walk away from,” she said.
The free screening of America By The Numbers with Maria Hinojosa: Clarkston Georgia is Monday at 6 p.m. at the University of Arizona’s Center for Creative Photography, 1030 N. Olive Rd.
See a longer version of the interview:
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