The State of State Race
Critical Analysis
Based on the data from the visual above, what is the most White state in America?
How White is your state?
What overall geographic patterns do you see regarding race in America?
What big story does this map tell about American race?
What is one political consequence of this story?
Two of the most White states: West Virginia and Wyoming are also two of the most Republican. Two of the least White states: California and Hawaii are among the most Democratic. In general, how does racial breakdown impact party identification?
Why do you think that is?
How different do you think this map would have looked 100 years ago?
In what way does racial breakdown impact voting results differently than it did 100 years ago?
In what year will Whites cease to be a majority of Americans and how will that impact American politics?*
Learning Extension
Check out all these cool charts of state by state racial demographics at Visual Capitalist.
Action Extension
Investigate the racial makeup of your state’s U.S. Congressional delegation and see how it compares to your overall state racial demographics. Share your results in class or online.
