Nat Geo’s Susan Goldberg on Creating a Picture of Diversity

In advance of speaking at the upcoming ANA Multicultural and Diversity Conference she shared the magazineamp8217s intent for the series what surprised her about demographic changes in the USamp160and how brands and marketers can boost diversity in their ranks and in their workE B Moss amp160What inspired Nat Geo to take on a series about diversity in AmericaSusan Goldberg amp160April 4 2018 marked the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr amp160It was a worthy moment to step back and take stockamp160of where we are as a country on race and diversity especially after events in Charlottesville Virginia and the ongoing shameful use of racism as a political strategy amp160Itamp8217s also a conversation that is changing in real time In 2020 for the first time in US history less than half the children in the nation will be white amp160We wanted to create a way for people to have a civil discussion about what is going on in hopes that knowledge can lead to more understandingamp160 The April issue of Nationalamp160Geographic magazine launched a year of stories looking at amp8220Diversity in Americaamp8221Moss amp160How does Nat Geo define diversityGoldberg amp160Just as we did with our gender issue in whichamp160we looked not only at the binary but included people on the gender spectrumamp160we have defined amp8220diversityamp8221 with an inclusive lens amp160We looked at racial diversity by covering the experience of whites African Americans Native Americans andamp160Asian Americansamp160 We looked at religious diversity in our story aboutamp160Muslim Americansamp160and ethnic diversity in our story onamp160Latino Americans amp160Within some big groups such as Asians we tried to drill down because the experiences of Japanese Americans are significantly different from the experiences of South Asian Americansamp160 In short we examined a broad scope of culturalamp160ethnic and religious backgroundsamp160in the US though of course we could not cover everyoneamp160 We leave theamp160door open on how we define and coveramp160diversityamp160 It39samp160an ongoing and important topic thatamp8217s part of National Geographic39samp160history of covering the human experienceMoss amp160In the past few years what has changed the most about diversity in AmericaGoldberg amp160Diversity in America is getting more amp8220diverseamp8221 and itamp8217s rapidly changing the makeup of the countryamp160 Some examplesamp160In less than two years white children will no longer be the majority among those under 18 years old in the United States the USamp160Census Bureau estimatesamp160 By then children who are now considered minorities amp160Latino African American Asianamp160and others amp160will outnumber them although nonHispanic white children will remain the largest racial or ethnic groupamp160 Within a few decades the entire nonHispanic white population in the country will also no longer be the majorityIn 2065 it is estimated that about oneamp160in threeamp160Americans will be an immigrant or have immigrant parents compared with oneamp160in fouramp160todayamp160 NonHispanic whites will remain the largest racial group projected to make up 46 of the population in 2065 compared to 62 nowamp160 Hispanics will be 24 now 18 Asians will be 14 now 6amp160and blacks will be 13 now 12The number of immigrants coming to the US peaked in 2005 at approximately eightamp160millionamp160 Asia is currently the largest source region among recently arrived immigrants and has been since 2011amp160 Before that time and since 1990 CentralSouth America was the largest source regionamp160 By 2065 Asian immigrants are projected to make up 38 of the foreignborn populationMoss amp160What surprised you most during your work on the seriesGoldbergamp160 I found these things especially strikingThroughout the series we portray people living their dailyamp160lives and this comes through so sharply in our photographyamp160 Whatever community we are covering the activities are the same weddings graduations parties family lifeamp160 We are all living similar lives with just minor differencesamp160 By highlighting our diversity through this series we are really showingamp160how much alike we all areamp160 That39s very a veryamp160powerful message and it39samp160storytelling with a purposeThe persistence of the idea of race and the ensuing negative effects on people of color as a result even in the face of scientific proof that there is no genetic basis for itamp160 I thought the most distressing story in the series was the story about the police stops of men of coloramp160 Although everyone knows it frequently happens and that those stops often become a violent flash point and lead to a heated discussion of race this story about the experiences of so many people really brought it home to meThe remarkable andamp160growing acceptance of marriage across racial and ethnic lines now nearly oneamp160in fiveamp160US marriagesamp160 This is happening just 50 years after the Supreme Court struck down state laws that banned interracial marriageIn two years white children will no longer be in the majority in the United Statesamp160 I continue to find this surprising no matter how often I have read this statisticThe diversity of the Muslim population and the rise of mosques 2100 mosques in 2018 compared to 962 in 1994 especially in the suburbsWhat we had all hoped would be a closed chapter in our history amp160the deplorable internment of Japanese Americans during WWII has echoes today in the detention of migrant children and familiesMoss amp160Is there a particular group whose story you find especially inspiringGoldberg amp160Iamp8217m inspired by the resilience of so many peopleamp160across racial and ethnic linesamp160who refuse to be deterred from achieving success in the face of so many obstaclesamp160whether legal social or economic amp160Those are great amp8220American Dreamamp8221 stories and I never fail to be moved by themMoss amp160What are the learnings and opportunities for marketers from this workGoldbergamp160 As demographics continue to change marketers need to ensure that their evolving audiences are fairly reflected in their advertising and communication strategies amp160Today if a commercial features an interracial or interethnic couple it serves as less of a sociopolitical statement and more of an accurate representation of the country amp160This kind of thinking doesnamp8217t exist in a vacuumamp160it often starts with hiring a diverse ensembleamp160of marketers to help tell a brandamp8217s story in the most authentic way possible amp160The same is true with journalism We need to have a diverse group of storytellers to make sure we are capturing stories in the truest waysPhoto courtesy of National GeographicClick the social buttons above or below to share this story with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this content are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated writers

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Nat Geo’s Susan Goldberg on Creating a Picture of Diversity

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