The Future of Politics in a Less White America

The demographics of America are changing once again. But for the first time, white Americans will no longer be the majority of American citizens by the year 2044. They will still be the largest single group categorized by race, and while no one disagrees about the numbers, it is less clear what these changing demographics will mean for American politics and society. 

Some people like Steve Phillips, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, think it will push more voters toward the progressive wing of the Democratic party. 

In his new book, "Brown is the New White," he argues that demographic changes are already moving the dial in American politics. He says the coalition of progressive whites and progressive people of color represent a voting majority when they come together as they did to elect Obama in 2008 and 2012.

But Linda Martin Alcoff, a professor of philosophy at Hunter College and the CUNY Graduate Center in New York and the author of "The Future of Whiteness," is less certain.

She warns that fear of America's changing demographics are also moving some white voters to support xenophobic and exclusionary politicians, like Donald Trump. Even in this election, Alcoff says, there is not a consensus among black and Latino voters around a candidate or even around a party.