Although the Declaration proclaimed the equality of all men, race-based slavery was deeply embedded throughout America (even in New England). The failure of Reconstruction and the limitations of the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s have meant that the effects of slavery are still evident throughout our country. With the gutting of the Voting Rights Act and the erosion of other race-based programs, such as Affirmative Action, we seem likely to be entering a period of racial backsliding, rather than racial progress. This panel will consider how we reached our current moment and what we can do to try to get to a better place in the future.
Keynote Speaker:
Nikole Hannah-Jones, Pulitzer-prize-winning journalist, professor at Howard University
Moderator:
Laura S. Washington, contributing columnist for the Chicago Tribune and political analyst at ABC-7
