Socrates UC Irvine Salon
We will begin with an evening reception and public panel on October 21 from 4:00 – 6:30 pm.
The next day, October 22, participants will join in a day-long seminar (9:00 am – 3:00 pm).
The Future of American Identity:
Will Demographic Shifts Require a New American Mythology?
America is at a demographic and cultural inflection point. For the first time in U.S. history, no single racial or ethnic group dominates the population under age 18. By the mid-2040s, the nation as a whole will be “majority-minority”—a term that itself is increasingly inadequate to describe the complexity of American identity.
These changes are not theoretical—they are already reshaping our schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, politics, and public institutions. Immigration, interracial marriage, multilingualism, and shifting social values are challenging the core narratives that once defined who belongs in America and what it means to be “American.”
Orange County, California—a region once synonymous with white suburban conservatism—is now one of the most ethnically diverse counties in the country, where Latino, Asian, Black, white, and multiracial communities coexist and compete to shape the future. It offers a revealing glimpse into the cultural collisions, creative possibilities, and tensions emerging nationwide.
This seminar asks:
- How do we make sense of American identity in a country where no single group defines the norm?
- Does the historic national mythology still reflect the lived experiences of most Americans? Did it ever include ethnic minorities?
- And who has the power—and responsibility—to tell the next American story?
As identity politics, and cultural polarization continue to surge, this conversation has never been more urgent. The future of American democracy may well depend on whether we can understand how race, class, and our diverging mythologies are shaping voters’ choices and our collective futures.
Moderated by Mike Madrid, a nationally recognized expert on Latino voting trends whose work over the last two decades has affected the outcomes of elections and political campaigns across the U.S.
October 21st Reception
Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering
100 Academy, Irvine CA, 92617
4:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Join us for a conversation around what pluralism means in today’s rapidly changing America-where shifting demographics, political divides, and technological disruption are reshaping how we live and work together.
Speakers
Erika D. Smith
Opinion Columnist, West Coast Politics & Policy, Bloomberg
Shamil Idriss
Executive Director, Search for Common Ground
Mona Charen
Syndicated Columnist, Policy Editor, The Bulwark
Host, The Mona Charen Show
Mike Madrid
Senior Fellow, UC Irvine School of Ecology
