>> DURING HIS MORE THAN 30 YEAR CAREER, JOURNAL RAY SUAREZ
REPORTED FOR A VARIETY OF NEWS AGENCIES, INCLUDING NATIONAL
PUBLIC RADIO AND AL JAZEERA AMERICA.
AND HE SPENT NEARLY 15 YEARS AS A CORRESPONDENT FOR THE PBS
NEWSHOUR.
HE'S ALSO AN AUTHOR.
SOME AREAS OF FOCUS HAVE BEEN ON LATINO AMERICAN HISTORY AND THE
WAY THAT FAITH AND POLITICS INTERSECT.
HE'S CURRENTLY HELPING STUDENTS AT AMHERST COLLEGE UNDERSTAND
MORE ABOUT THAT THROUGH A COURSE TITLED "FROM THE MORAL MAJORITY
TO THE RISE OF THE 'NONES.'."
THE RATE OF RELIGIOUS UNAFFILIATION IS ROUGHLY 35%.
I ASKED HIM THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THAT.
>> THE BATTLES ARE INTENSIFYING OVER RELIGIOUS MESSAGES,
RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS IN PUBLIC SPACE.
INSTEAD OF TAKING A LITTLE BIT OF THE PRESSURE OUT OF THOSE
FIGHTS, IT'S ACTUALLY BUILDING UP THE CONFRONTATION BECAUSE
THOSE WHO STILL ARE HEAVILY RELIGIOUSLY INFLUENCED ARE
DIGGING IN THEIR HEELS AND SAYING THIS IS AMERICA, THIS IS
AMERICAN CULTURE, THIS IS AN ESSENTIAL PART OF OUR HISTORY.
AND THE UNAFFILIATED ARE SAYING, LOOK, IT'S SPEAKING FOR THE
GOVERNMENT WHEN YOU PUT IN THE NATIVITY SCENE ON THE STEPS OF
CITY HALL.
IT'S NOT NEUTRAL SPEECH.
IT'S AN INTERESTING BATTLE BECAUSE ALONG WITH THAT
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE THERE'S ALWAYS BEEN A KIND OF
LIVE AND LET LIVE ATTITUDE TOWARD THESE THINGS.
NOBODY SAYS YOU CAN'T USE PUBLIC STREETS FOR RELIGIOUS
PROCESSION, LET'S SAY.
SO IN ITALIAN COMMUNITIES, IN BROOKLYN, IN THE MILLTOWNS OF
MASSACHUSETTS, THE SAINT WOULD BE PARADED THROUGH THE STREETS,
THE MEN OF THE CONGREGATION WOULD CARRY THE ENORMOUS THING
ON THEIR SHOULDERS.
NOBODY WOULD SAY YOU HAVE TO ONLY DO THAT ON CHURCH LAND.
THERE WAS A KIND OF ROUGH ACCOMMODATION FOR EVERYBODY
INVOLVED.
NOW WE ARE SEEING JUST CONFLICT.
>> I WANT TO TURN TO ANOTHER BOOK THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN.
LATINO AMERICANS, THE 500-YEAR LEGACY THAT SHAPED A NATION.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT'S A PORTION OF HISTORY THAT'S
OVERLOOKED?
>> THE WAY WE TEACH AMERICAN HISTORY IS THAT IT'S AN ENGLISH
THING THAT EVENTUALLY MARCHES WEST ACROSS THE CONTINENT.
THAT'S NOT QUITE HOW IT HAPPENED.
THE OLDEST CITY IN THE UNITED STATES IS ST.
AUGUSTINE, FLORIDA, FOUNDED AS A SPANISH
MILITARY AND RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENT.
AND WAY PREDATES PLYMOUTH.
THE UNITED STATES HAS ALWAYS BEEN A PLACE OF MANY LANGUAGES,
MANY ORIGINS, MANY RELIGIONS, IT HELPS EXPLAINS THE AMERICA WE
ENDED UP WITH MORE ADEQUATELY THAN THIS SORT OF ANGLO STORY WE
TELL ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE UNITED STATES.
>> AS I UNDERSTAND IT, THE BOOK YOU ARE CURRENTLY WORKING ON
LOOKS AT 2044, WHICH WILL BE AS THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU REPORTS,
THE FIRST TIME WE HAVE A MAJORITY-MINORITY COUNTRY.
WHAT'S YOUR HOPE FOR 2044?
>> AS WE HAVE SEEN IN THE BACKLASH OF THE LAST TWO YEARS,
THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EASY WALK TO 2044.
AS A MATTER OF FACT, SOME DEMOGRAPHERS ARE SAYING, IF
PRESIDENT TRUMP ACHIEVES HIS VISION FOR A REWRITE OF AMERICAN
IMMIGRATION LAWS, THE FIRST BIG ONE SINCE 1965, 2044 WON'T GET
HERE IN 2044.
IT WILL ACTUALLY DELAY THE NUMBER OF YEARS THAT IT TAKES
FOR THE UNITED STATES TO EVENTUALLY BE A
MAJORITY-MINORITY COUNTRY.
>> AS A LONG TIME JOURNALIST, WHAT DO YOU THINK IS A STORY
THAT IS UNREPORTED OR UNDERWRITED BY US AND
COLLEAGUES?
>> IT'S SOMETHING HAPPENING IN SLOW MOTION.
WE HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT HOW TO COVER THE FACT THAT WE ARE NOW
ABOUT TO HAVE A DEMOGRAPHIC TIDAL WAVE BROKE OVER OUR HEADS.
A GRAY WAVE OF PEOPLE TURNING 60 AND 70 IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS
THAT IS UNLIKE ANYTHING WE HAVE EVER SEEN IN THE HISTORY OF THIS
COUNTRY, AND WE ALREADY KNOW THAT THOSE PEOPLE, INCLUDING ME,
MY GENERATION, HAVE NOT ADEQUATELY SAVED FOR RETIREMENT.
THEY HAVE SAVED VERY LITTLE MONEY AND THEY NO LONGER CAN
RELY AS EARLIER GENERATIONS DID ON DEFINED BENEFIT PENSIONS.
WE ARE GOING TO HAVE, AFTER THE MAGIC, AFTER THE TRIUMPH OF
REDUCING ELDERLY POVERTY IN THIS COUNTRY, DECADE AFTER DECADE
AFTER DECADE, WE ARE NOW GOING TO SEE A RISING NUMBER OF
ELDERLY POOR IN THIS COUNTRY.
WE HAVE NO PLAN.
WE HAVE NO RESPONSE.
AND RIGHT NOW WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT.
A LOT OF COUPLES IN THEIR LATE 50s AND EARLY 60s HAVE JUST A
FEW THOUSAND DOLLARS SAVED FOR RETIREMENT.
THEY ARE GOING TO BE POOR.
THEY ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK UNTIL THEY ARE 80 YEARS
OLD.
WE ARE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT ENOUGH.
IN FACT, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT CUTTING SOCIAL SECURITY AND
CUTTING MEDICARE.
THAT'S NOT -- THAT'S A NUMBERS RESPONSE.
THAT'S A GREEN EYE SHADE RESPONSE.
IT'S NOT A RESPONSE TO THE REAL SITUATION THAT WE FACE RIGHT NOW
WITH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE IN THEIR 60s WHO HAVE NO MONEY TO RETIRE.