'Great replacement theory' and its deep roots in America

Published May 23, 2022 at 7:00 AM PDT

Jeanne LeGall, of Buffalo, hugs Claudia Carballada, of Buffalo, as she gets emotional, as she pays her respects at an makeshift memorial as people gather at the scene of a mass shooting at Tops Friendly Market at Jefferson Avenue and Riley Street on Sunday, May 15, 2022 in Buffalo, NY. (Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

In a recent survey, one in three Americans said they believe immigrants are being brought to the country for political gain.

This so-called “great replacement theory” holds that an effort is underway to intentionally replace native born Americans. It’s been perpetuated recently by right-wing media. But it’s nothing new.

“These arguments have been made since before the Constitution was signed, and they’re made for the same purpose today that they were then, to maintain the status quo in power,” Jeffery Robinson says.

Today, On Point: Great replacement theory and the history of our nation.

Guests

Jeffery Robinson, founder and president of the Who We Are Project, which aims to correct the narrative on the history of anti-Black racism in the United States. Producer of the documentary Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America. (@jeff_robinson56)

Ricky Jones, professor and chair of the department of Pan-African studies at the University of Louisville. (@DrRickyLJones)

Also Featured

Aliza Luft, assistant sociology professor at UCLA. Author of Dehumanization and the Normalization of Violence. (@alizaluft)

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.