New Topics Announced for Aspen Ideas 2018

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Aspen Ideas 2018 Adds Programming

Does the First Amendment’s speech clause need a 21st-Century upgrade? We'll delve into this question in our new program track Freedom of Speech and the Marketplace of Ideas (formerly The Art of Language). In addition, pass holders for both Festival 1 and Festival 2 can attend conversations centered on the new program track Leadership in a Time of Change. How are leaders navigating their way through an increasingly cynical America? What attributes do today’s leaders need to be successful? Find out more about the 2018 program tracks.

Why We Need to Talk About Race

If you’re white and middle class, you were probably raised thinking that discussing race was impolite, says Darren Walker. Color blindness was seen as a virtue. But in truth, color blindness is an insidious form of racial oppression. In this Aspen Ideas to Go episode, Walker, who leads the Ford Foundation, sits down with Jeff Raikes, former CEO of the Gates Foundation, and Michele Norris, director of The Bridge at the Aspen Institute, to talk about how color blindness affects social policy. Listen on Apple Podcasts, our website, NPR One, Spotify, and SiriusXM Insight, channel 121.

Local Leaders Tackle National Issues

Americans don't trust lawmakers in Washington. The Pew Research Center reports 20 percent of Americans, a near historic low, trust the government to do what's right. A group of local and regional elected leaders at the Aspen Ideas Festival said citizens are increasingly looking to governments like theirs for solutions. Former Fresno, California mayor Ashley Swearengin says there's optimism at the local level around tackling problems like poverty. “We’ve learned we’re not going to get anything out of DC...and that we have to solve problems ourselves." Read the Blog.

— WHAT WE'RE READING —

As we consider topics for the 2018 program tracks, here are some stories that have caught our attention: