AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA Launches Today

"MAINSTREAM, USA" kicks off the new national public television documentary series AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA, which examines the shifting cultural landscape and dramatic changes in U.S. demographics that are deeply impacting all aspects of American life. This debut episode explores the new multicultural mainstream through a portrait of one southern town that serves as a laboratory for the future of our country: Clarkston, Georgia. AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA: MAINSTREAM, USA premieres in prime time on WORLD Channel today, October 2 and on PBS on October 4, (check local listings).

The compelling story of ?MAINSTREAM, USA? is the first of eight half-hour episodes produced by The Futuro Media Group, presented by WGBH Boston and the National Minority Consortia (Center for Asian American Media, Pacific Islanders in Communications, Latino Public Broadcasting, National Black Programming Consortium, and Vision Maker Media). The series is helmed by award-winning reporter, author, news anchor, and executive producer, Maria Hinojosa (NPR?s Latino USA).

Never in its history has the United States been more racially diverse. Since 2011, over 50 percent of U.S. births have been to people of color, and the U. S. Census Bureau predicts that this country will be a majority non-white nation by 2043, if not sooner. This sea change is most significant in the South, the region that experienced America?s largest multicultural population growth between 2000 and 2010.

Some places are getting a head start on this America of the future, and one such place is Clarkston, Georgia. Once an outpost of the Confederacy and an organizing HUB for the Ku Klux Klan, this city of 7,600 outside of Atlanta went from being 89 percent white to 82 percent non-white in just 30 years. Designated as a refugee resettlement area since the 1980s, Clarkston is now home to residents from over 40 different countries, speaking more than 60 languages.

In ?MAINSTREAM, USA,? Hinojosa documents how Clarkston?s daily realities reflect wider demographic trends, and examines the collaborations and collisions that are occurring everywhere in the town. The city has been described as the most diverse square mile in the U. S. Due to the large number of refugees who have settled there, the city has been labeled by some as an ?Ellis Island of the South,? and by others, a ?dumping ground.? This community is a microcosm of the evolution of the South and the tension that exists between the history of inequality of the ?old South,? and the equity and diversity that the ?new South? promises.

?This small town outside of Atlanta is diversity on steroids,? says Hinojosa. ?The intertwining of cultures here is stunning, and this episode shows viewers how in this unlikely place, local residents are negotiating, and in many cases celebrating diversity is their everyday lives.?

Viewers will meet prominent local figures, including Emmanuel Ransom, Clarkston?s first African American mayor; city councilwoman Dianne Leonetti, a Tea Party supporter whose campaign manager is a Somali refugee; and refugee Birendra Dhakal, who teaches U.S. citizenship classes for his fellow Bhutanese in a makeshift Buddhist-Hindu temple that doubles as a classroom. Viewers will also visit the local supermarket, where the last day of Ramadan has replaced Christmas Eve as the biggest shopping day of the year.

Hinojosa investigates diverse perspectives to tell the story behind the dramatic population shifts and increased diversity the South is experiencing -- interviewing community leaders who feel the refugees have been a boom to Clarkston as they work hard, buy foreclosed homes and revitalize the economy, as well as some longtime residents reluctant to change, who believe the influx of refugees has destroyed the way of life there.

SERIES DESCRIPTION
AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA reveals how dramatic demographic changes are playing out in our country today. This is the first national series to explore the impact of the new American mainstream?the growing numbers of Asians, Latinos, African Americans, persons of mixed race, immigrants, women, youth, and LGBTs whose influence over culture, commerce, and the outcome of elections is affecting every aspect of contemporary life. Each half-hour program focuses on underreported stories from every corner of the nation, amplified by the numbers?original statistical analysis and infographics illustrating the latest trends in population, health, education, and quality of life in America.

From Native Americans confronting an oil boom in North Dakota to underserved veterans in Guam; from Asian students struggling to complete high school in California to multicultural MAD MEN in Texas; AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA showcases compelling stories, surprising data, distinctive visuals, and Maria Hinojosa?s immersive first-person reporting style.

AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA is produced by The Futuro Media Group in association with PBS and presented by WGBH Boston along with the members of the National Minority Consortia: The Center for Asian American Media, Pacific Islanders in Communications, Latino Public Broadcasting, National Black Programming Consortium, and Vision Maker Media. Funding for AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA is provided by: The California Endowment, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Druckenmiller Foundation, Ford Foundation, PBS, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

About The Futuro Media Group:
The Futuro Media Group is an independent nonprofit organization producing multimedia journalism that explores and gives a critical voice to the diversity of the American experience. Based in Harlem and founded in 2010 by award-winning journalist Maria Hinojosa, the Futuro Media Group is committed to telling stories often overlooked by mainstream media. For AMERICA BY THE NUMBERS WITH MARIA HINOJOSA, The Futuro Media Group has assembled one of the most diverse teams in broadcasting including: executive producer and anchor Maria Hinojosa; executive producer Sandra Rattley; and series producer Charlotte Mangin. The MAINSTREAM USA episode was directed by Marty Spanninger, produced by Xochitl Dorsey and edited by Chris Fiore. Paul de Lumen is Director of Photography.

About WGBH:
WGBH Boston is America?s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children?s series. WGBH?s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBH 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region?s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, High School Quiz Show, and Neighborhood Kitchens. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston Public Radio; 99.5 WCRB, Classical New England; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of programs for public radio (among them, PRI?s The World®), a leader in educational multimedia (including PBS LearningMediaTM, providing the nation?s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content), and a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.

About NMC:
The National Minority Consortia (NMC) is comprised of five distinct and separate organizations?Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), and Vision Maker Media. With primary funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the NMC has emerged as a leader in the field of diverse independent filmmaking and digital media and has contributed to the nation?s appreciation of diverse cultures and storytelling. Over the past 30 years, the NMC has developed and provided production support to a wealth of diverse content for broadcast and new media for multi-platform distribution on PBS, and to schools and libraries. The NMC collaborates on national series and specials for public media, and works with public television stations to launch community engagement initiatives. The organizations provide production training, professional development and mentorship for the advancement of producers of color. For more information, visit www.nmcmedia.org

About WORLD Channel:
The WORLD Channel is a 24/7, multicast channel dedicated to delivering the best of public television's nonfiction, news and documentary programming as well as a growing schedule of original content from independent producers and communities of difference. The complementary website, www.WORLDchannel.org, expands on broadcast topics and fuels content across social media, providing opportunities for broad and diverse audience interaction. WORLD Channel is produced by WGBH/Boston, in partnership with American Public Television and WNET/New York, and in association with the Public Broadcasting Service and the National Educational Telecommunications Association. Funding for WORLD Channel is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Ford Foundation.

About PBS:
PBS, with its over 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 109 million people through television and over 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS? broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry?s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS? premier children?s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents? and teachers? most trusted PARTNERS in inspiring and nurturing CURIOSITY and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices.

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