Traditional economics, like the ethos of the “American Dream,” tells us that our individual talents and efforts determine whether or not we succeed in life. Yet, an overwhelming body of evidence shows that people of color have been denied the same opportunities to succeed in America. Race is not only a defining feature of social identity and an arbiter of access to power and privilege; for far too many Americans, race - a social construction - is a fundamental determinant of their economic destiny.
On November 12, 2016, the
Institute for New Economic Thinking, along with professors john a. powell and Darrick Hamilton, will convene a diverse array of leading academics, public figures, journalists, and community leaders in Detroit, Michigan for our inaugural conference on race and economics in America. The event, titled Tomorrow’s Detroits and Detroit’s Tomorrows, will examine how racial fears and centuries of racism continue to perpetuate damaging structural inequities in wealth, environment, employment, health, educational access, and treatment by the criminal justice system. We will explore how economic structure and policies exacerbate racial conflict, how racial tension influences economic structure, and look at the history, hardships, and healing of Detroit Michigan — a city whose economic decline presents a challenge for all Americans.
Friday, November 11
Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History
| 3:00 PM | Welcome Address Rob Johnson, john a. powell | |
3:10 PM | History of Detroit | |
4:45 PM | History of Race: A Social Construction and its Representation in Economics | |
| 6:30 PM | Dinner | |
| 7:30 PM | A Grownup Conversation About Race and Class Rev. Dr. William Barber > Watch The Video | |
| 8:00 PM | Closing Remarks john a. powell |
Saturday, November 12
Wayne State University, Student Center Ballroom
9:00 AM | Bearing Witness to Headwinds: Housing, Wealth Health and Employment | |
| 11:00 AM | Bearing Witness to Headwinds: Education, Criminal Justice and Prisons | |
| 12:45 PM | Lunch Keynote: Why Racism is Bad for Business? Ron Fournier, Tom Lewand, Jacques Panis | |
| 1:45 PM | The Interactions of Race & Economic Structure | |
| 3:50 PM | Healing "Otherness": Neuroscience, Perception Bias, and Messaging | |
| 5:15 PM | The Future History of All Detroits: The Ecology of Hope, and the Lessons for our Increasingly Diverse Cities in the Future | |
| 7:20 PM | Closing Remarks |
Help Frame The Conversation
- How can we heal racial inequality in America?
- Where does economics fall short in addressing race? How can it improve?
- Do you have specific questions for any of our panelists?
