AETN Examines Arkansas' Immigrant Population

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   According to “A Profile of Immigrants in Arkansas,” in the 1990's Arkansas's native born population grew 12 percent, while the immigrant population almost tripled – rising from 25,000 to 75,000, a growth rate exceeded by only three other states. The Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation commissioned a study of Arkansas immigration. The Urban Institute in Washington, D.C., conducted the study.

   Misinformation and undisguised fear on this controversial subject often lead the public to overlook the positive impact that immigration affecting the state. The Urban Institute’s study dispels fact from fiction by showing how immigration changes Arkansas, the challenges and rewards faced by the state, and the misimpression all immigrants are Latino.

   “Growing Roots” answers such questions as who is coming to Arkansas, why they’re here, what this population influx means to the state and what growth will come in the future. It also shows what jobs these immigrants are filling, how they’re becoming invested in Arkansas communities, how much of the immigrant population continues to be undocumented, what opportunities they’re bringing to the state, how they’re affecting the education system and much more.

   Part one of “Growing Roots” looks at the demography, economics and cultural impact of immigration in Arkansas. Included are community profiles that feature immigrants of Latino, Laotian and Marshallese descent. The pieces, produced by Matt Bradley, were filmed in DeQueen, Hensley and Springdale.

   Part two examines education, global economics and household demographics within Arkansas immigrant communities. Bradley produced community profiles featuring immigrants of Asian and Latino descent in Russellville and Little Rock.

   Veteran journalist Steve Barnes hosts the program. Panelists include: Randy Capps, senior research associate at The Urban Institute; Everett Henderson, research associate at The Urban Institute; Donald Hernandez, professor of sociology at The University of Albany, SUNY; and James Johnson Jr., distinguished professor of entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

   Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation underwrote “Growing Roots: Immigration in the Land of Opportunity” and provides closed captioning in both English and Spanish.

   The Arkansas Educational Television Network, www.aetn.org, provides lifelong learning opportunities, improves and enhances Arkansans’ lives and celebrates the unique culture of Arkansas through its programming and services. AETN’s analog and digital transmitters and numerous cable system connections give it statewide reach.

 

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