A timely message for our readers

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To Our Readers,

As people across the country and beyond grapple with vivid realities of
police brutality, set amidst an invisible and deadly pandemic, we have
given deep thought to the role we play at the Aspen Institute in
contributing to the national discourse. Our goal with this missive, always,
is to present ideas — the kind that move minds to consider issues deeply
and catalyze action.

This week that means conversing less and listening more. We’re sharing
important ideas from our archives, but they are hardly out of date; indeed,
listening to these conversations from the past is a harsh reminder of how
far we have to go in the future.

Importantly, we welcome you to tell us about your fears, stories, hopes,
and ideas. We want your thoughts to help frame the most urgent questions
shaping the work ahead. [2]Share your ideas here.

In next week’s Aspen Ideas Now, we will include diverse perspectives on
what progress could look like and what it will take to get there — from the
standpoint of policing, education, faith, bridging divides and more.

Finally, in the spirit of ideas to action, we offer ways to get engaged.
Find more in [3]Resources to Combat Structural Racism in America.

We are humbled by these times, and yet remain energized by possibilities
ahead,

Kitty Boone

Vice President, Public Programs

POWERFUL THOUGHTS FROM OUR SPEAKERS

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"We have to change the narrative that has created a kind of smog. I don’t
think we’re free in this country. I think we all breathe a smog or
pollution created by a genocide that we refuse to call a genocide."— Bryan
Stevenson

[5]Listen

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"I do not accept that it’s the work of black people to resolve the issues
of black people alone. If you regard yourself a citizen in this country, it
is your responsibility to work on perfecting this democracy." — Sherrilyn
Ifill

[7]Watch

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"Fundamentally at its core, we’re engaged in this struggle between two
forces: racial progress and racist process. There’s going to be a moment in
which this nation will have to choose." — Ibram X. Kendi

[9]Listen

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“I don't get to walk out of my house each day and decide I'm not going to
be a woman today, I'm not going to be black today, I'm not going to be
queer today. But I do get to demand that the people who represent me don't
try to look through me, but try to have a conversation with me about how to
make my life better. That's what we deserve from a political system.” —
Alicia Garza

[11]Watch

WEEKLY READS

FROM INSTITUTE LEADERS

[12]We Must Keep Their Names Alive

The Aspen Institute, June 2, 2020

By Douglas Wood, Director, [13]Criminal Justice Reform Initiative

[14]Young people can lead but they need us to invest in them

The Aspen Times, June 3, 2020

By Stephen Patrick, Executive Director, [15]Forum for Community Solutions

[16]America's neck is broken. We can survive, but we have to act.

The Washington Post, June 3, 2020

By Eric Liu, Executive Director, [17]Citizenship and American Identity
Program

[18]11 Terms You Should Know Better to Understand Structural Racism

The Aspen Institute, July 11, 2016

By Institute Staff, inspired by the Aspen Institute Roundtable on Community
Change

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[20]Subscribe

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