Truly good solutions news is sometimes hidden in gradual developments. While many Americans are worried about increasing racism, nationalism and division in their country and the politic debate seems completely polarized and frozen, statistics show that a new generation is coming of age with much healthier values. Young Americans are avoiding crime and violence, go further in education and adopt more inclusive, global attitudes. California leads the way. Nearly three-fourths of young Californians now are of color, and half have at least one foreign-born parent. In the 1970s, 10 percent of youthful Californians were arrested every year; in the 1990s, 7 percent; today, 2 percent. More powerful figures: As California’s teenage youth population grew by 1 million from 1990 to 2015, their murder arrests fell from 658 to 88, violent crimes from 21,000 to 7,000, property felonies from 54,000 to 7,000, total criminal arrests from 220,000 to 63,000, gun killings from 351 to 84, juvenile imprisonments from 10,000 to 700, births from 26,000 to 7,000, and school dropout rates from 16 to 6 percent. By contrast, college enrollment and graduation soared from 34 to 47 percent. These numbers show what America’s future looks like.
The kids in California prove that the future is bright
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