NEW AMERICAN DREAM

FIVE WEEKS OF VIRTUAL TOWN HALLS ON DISRUPTING SYSTEMIC RACISM
AND ENVISIONING THE NATION BEYOND IT

CLIENT: THE WNET GROUP

Public Programs: Issues & Ideas, Social Justice, Democracy

Photo: Erin Hammond / Model: Jameelah Nuriddin

ABOUT

What have the first two decades of the 21st Century taught us about systemic racism in the United States, and what new visions of democracy and racial justice are needed to reclaim, revitalize, and redefine the American Dream?

New American Dream was a five-week series of virtual forums that gathered 35 thought leaders from across the U.S. to discuss the impact of white supremacy and structural racism on America today. The event also explored ways to make the nation’s policies and culture more accountable to its democratic ideals.

The summit examined systemic racism in relation to five pillars of contemporary society: voting rights, artificial intelligence, Black journalism, White antiracism, and cultural narratives. The focus was on strategies and solidarity, with an understanding of history and eyes toward the future.

WATCH

DEMOCRACY THAT DOESN’T FLINCH:
Inside Campaigns to Build and Diversify Political Power

A conversation with five leaders whose work increases political clout for their communities, and voting rights for all Americans:

Christine Chen | APIAVote

Maria Teresa Kumar | Voto Latino
Afaf Nasher, Esq. | Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York
Kimberly Peeler-Allen | Higher Heights for America
Allie Young (Diné) | Protect the Sacred

Moderated by Brian Tate | Tate Strategy

Opening performance by Danny Simmons Jr.

REVOLUTIONARY DESIGN:
Conceiving a Future Forged With Antiracist Technology

A conversation with five leaders who work to bring human rights and racial justice to artificial intelligence and genetic science:

Moderated by Karen Hao | MIT Technology Review

Opening performance by Lady Jess

NEWS THAT NEEDS TELLING:
Journalism That Examines Injustice and Explores Black Power

A conversation with five leaders of new journalism initiatives that propel Black culture, critical thinking, and racial justice:

Moderated by Greg Tate

Opening performance by Liza Jessie Peterson

TURNED AGAINST THE TIDE:
Heeding the Call of White Antiracism

A conversation with five leaders who bring the message of antiracism to White communities through music and culture:

Moderated by Ginny Suss | Ginny Suss Productions | Resistance Revival Chorus

Opening performance by Ailish Hopper

BRAVER THAN THE ONE BEFORE IT:
In Search of the New American Dream

A conversation with five major authors on what America means and can become for people long kept at its margins:

Cathy Park Hong | Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning
Patricia Engel | Infinite Country
Robert Jones, Jr. | The Prophets
Laila Lalami | Conditional Citizens: On Belonging in America
Tommy Orange (Cheyenne and Arapaho) | There There

Moderated by Lisa Lucas | Pantheon & Schocken Books at Penguin Random House

Opening performance by Sandra Lilia Velasquez

MetroFocus: April 27, 2021:
THE “NEW AMERICAN DREAM”

A news interview with participants of New American Dream about strategies for disrupting white supremacy in the United States and envisioning the nation beyond it.

MetroFocus: June 2, 2021:
NEW AMERICAN DREAM: TANGIBLE LESSONS LEARNED

A news interview with participants of the New American Dream about the takeaways and lessons learned from the five-week series.

Black News Channel: June 2, 2021:
DAN ZANES & BRIAN TATE DISCUSS SYSTEMIC RACISM

Brian Tate, Curator, New American Dream and Dan Zanes, Co-Founder, Constructive White Conversations, joined Black News Tonight with Marc Lamont Hill to discuss systemic racism and ways to combat it.