Giving Compass' Take:

• Brookings examines the views of millennials and how the next generation could help heal some of our nation's divides through tolerance and optimism.

• We've seen the drive of young activists through movements like Black Lives Matters and March For Our Lives. Are we listening to them yet? If not, it's time to start.

• Here's why millennials will be the biggest donors in history.

"Build a wall and my generation will tear it down," read a sign held by a young anti-Trump protester at a recent rally, a cry reiterated by Rep. Joe Kennedy in his response to President Trump’s State of the Union address. That sentiment could serve as a slogan for millennials, now in their 20s and early 30s, who are well placed to serve as a bridge between the older adult population and the Americans who are now in their teenage years or younger.

One major fault line in our divided America is generational. The last three presidential elections, for example, showed a sharp split along the dimension of age. In each, those over 40 voted primarily for the Republican candidate, while younger people voted primarily for the Democrat.

This divide, evident in areas other than politics, has demographic and cultural underpinnings.

Forty-four percent of millennials are racial minorities: Latinos, blacks, Asians and other smaller groups. Three out of 10 are first- or second-generation Americans, and 1 out of 6 are multilingual. Millennials are thus on the front lines of the nation’s diversity shift, between the baby boomers and Gen Xers who are more white, and the post-millennials, sometimes called Generation Z, who are less white. By the year 2035, millennials’ elders will be 65% white, and those younger than them, who will make up nearly half of the population, will be 46% white.

Perhaps the most important attribute of millennials as a bridge to America’s diverse future is their relentless optimism.

Whereas older whites express fears of what the changing racial and ethnic demography means for the nation’s future and possibly their own safety — fears fanned by President Trump’s signature positions on immigration and policing — millennials are known for their tolerance.

Read the full article about how millennials could start healing the nation's divides by William H. Frey at Brookings.