Aspen Ideas to Go

Throughout American history, racism has been embedded in health and health care. To justify slavery, scientists promulgated falsehoods about African Americans and health. More recently, social policies rooted in racism have led to less access to care, higher disease rates, and lower life expectancies for communities of color. Science writer Harriet Washington says structural racism is a well-oiled, perpetual motion machine. "Once the structure of racism has been installed — the mythologies, beliefs, and practices — then nothing else needs to be done to continue it's onslaught on people of color," she says. How can this system of inequality be dismantled? Harriet Washington speaks with Marcella Nunez-Smith, chair of the US Department of Health and Human Services’ COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force, and David R. Williams, professor of public health at Harvard. Trymaine Lee, correspondent for MSNBC, moderates the discussion. aspenideas.org

The type of conflict that's permeating America today is the intractable kind where normal rules of engagement don't apply. High conflict is the opposite of useful friction or healthy conflict. It's when discord distills into a good-versus-evil kind of feud — an us and a them. Sound familiar? In this time when everything is political, including aspects of the pandemic, everyday Americans are at each other's throats. How can we break free? In her book, High Conflict: Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out, Amanda Ripley examines how cases of high conflict across the globe share similar characteristics. She tells Garrett Graff, director for cyber initiatives for the Aspen Digital program at the Aspen Institute, about a mind-opening new way to think about conflict. aspenideas.org

The world's largest economy is rebounding from the pandemic more slowly than other global powerhouses. The European Union's economy is "on crutches," and isn't yet ready to stand on its own, says Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank, which serves the 19 EU countries that use the Euro. Now that Europeans are getting vaccinated and the pandemic's peak has likely passed, she predicts a robust economic rebound in the second half of 2021. She speaks with Carlyle Group co-founder and co-chair David Rubenstein about a range of issues including the pandemic, predictions for the eurozone, Brexit's impact on Europe, and sexism in the finance industry. aspenideas.org

The professional sports industry in the United States has historically been a man's game. Men have held leadership roles, designed competition formats, chosen which sports stories get elevated, and dictated how athletes are treated. What if pro sports were owned, designed, and run by women? It's already happening, in part, because fans are demanding it. But in the midst of this change, pro sports faces financial challenges from the pandemic and waning interest from younger generations. Angela Ruggiero, co-founder of the Sports Innovation Lab, Aleshia Ocasio, professional softball player, and Julie Foudy, co-owner of Angel City FC, talk with the Aspen Institute's Jon Solomon about how women are changing the game.Future of Sports videos from the Aspen Institute: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/sports-society/future-of-sports/The Fan Project from the Sports Innovation Lab: https://thefanproject.co/ aspenideas.org

Rodney Foxworth says the racial “wealth gap” is a misnomer because it implies something that’s achievable to close. “Wealth chasm” is more on the nose since we’re talking about disparities created by centuries of oppression. Growing up in Baltimore, Rodney witnessed firsthand what many Black and brown communities face in America—systemic racism, over policing, economic dislocation. Now, as CEO of Common Future, he draws on that lived experience to create a network of organizations across the country that builds relationships and economic power in historically exploited communities. Foxworth is featured in the first episode of Solvers, a new podcast from the Skoll Foundation in partnership with Aspen Ideas. Hosts Courtney E. Martin and Nguhi Mwaura introduce listeners to social entrepreneurs who are tackling some of the world's messiest problems. Look for Solvers on your favorite podcast player and enjoy the entirety of the first episode on Aspen Ideas to Go. aspenideas.org

There's no denying the world is already paying for climate change. The price is stronger hurricanes, bigger wildfires, and unpredictable heat waves. So, how can people living on a changing globe literally pay to mitigate the effects of climate change? One solution is to utilize the social cost of carbon, says economist Michael Greenstone. He co-led the development of the US government’s social cost of carbon as chief economist for President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers. President Biden has raised carbon's value back to Obama-era levels after the Trump Administration lowered it. Greenstone, who leads the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post journalist Juliet Eilperin about how we're just beginning to experience what the climate has in store. aspenideas.org

America has been shaped by a hidden phenomenon that touches all of our lives. A rigid hierarchy of human rankings, or caste system, influences our culture, politics, and even our health. Race is the metric by which one’s position in the caste system is determined. In her book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Isabel Wilkerson describes how these inherited rankings have been passed down through generations from the country's very founding. She says this system is the underlying architecture of division in America. She speaks with Elizabeth Alexander, president of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. aspenideas.org

The United States is facing one of the most difficult tests in its 244-year history. American democracy is struggling, economic and social justice are under interrogation, faith in institutions is declining, and a pandemic is touching us all. Is national unity a far-off dream? Jon Meacham, presidential historian, Samar Ali, research professor of political science and law, and Bill Haslam, former Tennessee governor (R), say history, research, and reasoning can unite Americans. They're part of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, which aims to reintroduce evidence into the national conversation in order to supplant ideology with fact. Meacham, Ali, and Haslam are interviewed by Cordell Carter, executive director of the Socrates Program at the Aspen Institute. aspenideas.org

In tax law, most people think the only color that matters is green. But, after more than two decades of research, tax scholar Dorothy A. Brown discovered that America's tax system is not color-blind. In fact, societal racism is deeply embedded in it. "Regardless of what white and Black Americans do, tax policy subsidizes white Americans and disadvantages Black Americans," she says. From attending college to getting married to buying a home, Black Americans are financially disadvantaged compared to their white peers. In a conversation with Ida Rademacher, executive director of the Financial Security Program at the Aspen Institute, Brown talks about her book, The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans—and How We Can Fix It. aspenideas.org

When she met him, Tanya Selvaratnam thought New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman was her perfect match. But as time went on, Schneiderman became controlling, mean, and manipulative. In her new book, Assume Nothing, Selvaratnam chronicles how domestic violence took away her voice, how she managed to get it back, and her decision to use it to help other women find their way to freedom. In a conversation with contemporary artist and personal friend Carrie Mae Weems, Selvaratnam talks about how the social ecosystem in America needs an overhaul. "We need to chip away at the condition that normalizes the cycle of violence and chip away at the patriarchy." aspenideas.org