2.26.19 Slate: Workplace Diversity a Poor Replacement for Social Diversity
| Slate: Workplace Diversity a Poor Replacement for Social Diversity Citing a recent PRRI survey on American democracy and pluralism, Rachelle Hampton at Slate writes, “A joint study by the Public Religion Research Institute and The Atlantic released Tuesday presents a rather bleak portrait of American ambivalence toward pluralism—not just living alongside difference but actively engaging with it.” Hampton points out that the survey finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans who say they gave some interaction with people of different backgrounds made reference to their workplaces. “The fact that most people only interact with those who are different from them at work—a space where there’s little choice involved in the matter—makes those interactions particularly burdened,” Hampton argues. |
| U.S. Catholic Leaders Woo Latino Youth as Church Attendance Falls “While leaders within the Catholic Church acknowledge that the institution has always been welcoming to immigrants, there’s more of an urgency than ever before to engage with Latinos, including in cities and towns that are overwhelmingly white,” writes Lindsay Schnell in USA Today. Schnell cites a 2016 PRRI survey that found “39 percent of young adults (aged 18 through 29) are “religious unaffiliated.” That number has quadrupled in the last 33 years. As this shift has taken place, Latinos have been targets of new outreach from catholic leadership. “Latinos are the emerging majority in the Catholic Church,” says Alejandro Aguilera-Titus, assistant director for Hispanic ministry for the U.S. Catholic Church, says in the piece. “As Hispanic ministry goes, so goes the Catholic Church in the U.S. in the decades to come,” Titus declares. |
| “These Are The Americans Who Live In A Bubble” Emma Green of The Atlantic recently sat down with NPR to discuss “These are The Americans Who Live in a Bubble,” her analysis of the latest PRRI/The Atlantic survey. Green’s piece examines the small portion of the country who almost never interact with people outside of their race, religion, or political persuasion. Green tells NPR, “The stat that stuck out to me most is that 45 percent of Democrats said that they would be unhappy with their child marrying someone from a different political party, and 35 percent of Republicans said the same thing.” “American Democracy in Crisis: The Fate of Pluralism in a Divided Nation,” gives a detailed look at how Americans interact with one another, and their ideas. |
| Ole Miss Athletes Kneel During Anthem to Protest Confederate Rally Members of the Ole Miss basketball team knelt during the national anthem before their game against Georgia on Saturday. “We’re just tired of these hate groups coming to our school and portraying our campus — like our actual university has these hate groups in our school,” said Breein Tyree, one of the participants in the protest. Head coach Kermit Davis added, “Our players made an emotional decision to show these people they’re not welcome on our campus. We respect our players’ freedom and ability to do that.” PRRI’s David Tigabu recently examined how Americans in general feel about this issue. Tigabu writes, Differences within the broader population also fall along generational lines. More than seven in ten (72 percent) seniors (age 65+) say professional athletes should be required to stand during the national anthem, while fewer than half (44 percent) of young people (age 18-29) agree. |