Reflections on race in America

“As a child of the 1960s, I was raised on the South Side of Chicago, and my life as a young person was informed by race. There was anger on the streets, but also hope. My mother—a Mexican immigrant—took us to multiracial demonstrations in support of civil rights. The meaning of ‘minority’ has since changed—it no longer means ‘disenfranchised outsider.’ Nor does it necessarily mean people of color! A power shift is taking place, and the ways to move the conversation forward are in different hands now, not just in one small group. Hay esperanza!” —Maria Hinojosa, Journalist and Founder, Futuro Media Group.

For the January/February 2013 issue of Washington Monthly, recognizing the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, key racial equity advocates provide their perspective on what race in America means today. From Janet Murguia, president of the National Council of La Raza to Kathy Lim Ko, president of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, race in America means something different to everyone, and the leaders who provide their perspective remind us that we are all in this together.

Read all of the reflections, and other articles from the January/February issue of Washington Monthly. In conjunction with the release of this special issue of Washington Monthly, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and Washington Monthly hosted an event in Washington D.C. on Jan. 25. Watch the C-SPAN coverage of the panel discussion.