Change is afoot! It seems the state of Maine might be more inclined to embrace immigrants going forward. Or they may have to, given its changing demographics, which are not conducive to building its workforce or its future.

This rationale has been on my mind since I heard a piece on NPR on “All Things Considered” almost exactly a year ago. Maine is the not only the whitest state but it is also the oldest state. Combine that with low birth rates, and that means new Mainers are not being created in enough volume to supply us with a future workforce. In other words, our future isn’t looking too good. We need new people. And after years of looking askance at new Mainers who are often immigrants from non-white countries, it seems we are beginning to embrace these people as the “new Mainers” in hope of boosting our job force ranks.