USD President's Report 1999

STORY THROUGH

T H E LOOKiNG GLASS

P,,1f, "or A!, hoc/ J (j,p1,,_alc,,_ DrpC1rtr,1r1 I of H"t '1'

~l

150 years ago , there was much grief and suffering. Mexicans and Anglos resorted to pistols and the hangman's noose to settl e many scores . Other times, Indians and Chinese immigrants suffered the insults of miners who wanted no compet itors in the diggings. Now step back through the looki ng glass and return to the 'present. The curi:_ent controver,sies over i mm igratf on and affirmative action may compare with the probtems that tormented our predecessors. Californians, especially in modern times , may lull themselves into fa lse comfort. Trol!lb le 1 racia l tension----;-Ihe:; susp icious glance one person throws anothl r, would be far from the mind. One need only inv.e.stigate the counter- culture movement in Berkeley, the rise of fashion trends in suburbs or , looking to Hollywood , the impact movies have on viewers to see h ow Al;nericans across the nation have fo llowed

T o envision the future , we cannot use history as a crystal ball; indeed , the subject of history works best if used like a looking glass. Stand before it and we can see our own reflection . Or , like Alice in the Lewis Carroll tale, we can step into the looking glass to see not Wonderland , but the past. First, we behold our image. What do we see? Great things may greet the eye, but among many sights , the most amazing could be social change in California. According to the Census Bureau , if current patterns h old , by the year 2040 Latinos , most of them Mexican or Mexican American, will comprise 48 percent of the state's population . In L os Ange les County alon e, the Latino population will be 64 pe.rcent of the total. Meanwhile, whites throughout the state will only account for 31 percent of the population , and the number will sink even lower in counties su ch as Los Angeles , which will have a large Latino presence. Already in 1999 we see signs of the coming ch ange. In a report released in J an uary, the Social Security Administration noted that Jose is the most popular name given boys in California. Other sources note that Spanish is the most common fore ign langu age spoken in California homes. 1 n some cases , Spanish is the on ly language spoken. Nor can we forget that Asian Amer icans an d African Americans will grow more numerous as we ll. In 2040 , the two groups combined will account for 21 percent of the state's population.

f

Ca li fornia's example. It would fol low, maybe, that the spirit of innovation and independence that Ca li forn ians cherish wou ld extend to relations between different ethnic groups and races. One people would rejoice with the other. Perhaps, but perhaps not. Now in California , as in the mines long ago, wh en peoples of color demand the rights and pleasures others enjoy, hearts

V

0 u w

0

:z; •

may turn cold and the state's enthusiasm for experimentation vanishes. Yet again , one group may see another as a rival.

0

Remain before the mirror. Sadly , the l ook in g glass, despite the most arden t wish to see in to the years ah ead ,

>

How will Californians react to th e changes? Let u s ste p through the looking glass to observe th e past. One may be saddened to see that Californ ians have not handled ch ange very wel l. When the state switched from a Mexican to an Anglo American majority

cannot always supp ly a good view of the future. But stand nonetheless before our reflection. Of course we see a mu ltitude , but in the different

a: w > :z; :,

14