Agenda

Location: Pavilion

Coleman Hughes, Reihan Salam

Since the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, black Americans have made enormous gains in life expectancy, educational attainment, household income, and cultural influence. Yet the persistence of black-white disparities dominates the discussion of race relations in America, contributing to a profound pessimism about the prospects for black advancement. Coleman Hughes, author of The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America, will outline how excessive race consciousness obscures racial progress and why a renewed commitment to color blindness is so essential.

Location: Pecan Room

Roland Fryer, Reihan Salam

A war is raging over diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Supporters see DEI as essential for finding hidden talent in a world where racial discrimination persists. Opponents see it as a euphemism for reverse racism. Harvard economist Roland Fryer will make the case for a more rigorous and meritocratic approach to DEI, one that rejects unfair preferences and instead uses data to unlock the potential of disadvantaged groups.

Location: Pecan Room

Katharine Birbalsingh, Ian Rowe, Margaret Raymond, and Michael Hartney

Building on rising enrollment in the charter sector, a growing number of states are going further in their embrace of school choice by establishing education savings accounts (ESAs). Drawing on a range of disciplines, panelists will discuss the rise of ESAs and what they might mean for black families seeking new educational options.

Location: Debate Chamber

Ralph Richard Banks, Devon Westhill, Renu Mukherjee, and Mene Ukueberuwa

Now that the Supreme Court has found racial preferences in college admissions to be unconstitutional, how will elite higher education respond? Will they abandon racial preferences or work harder to conceal them? Legal experts will discuss the implications of the Students for Fair Admissions decision for admissions offices and what’s to come in the battle over affirmative action.

Location: Debate Chamber

Ralph Richard Banks, Rafael A. Mangual, and Ian Rowe

Black families face a number of profound challenges. Black women are only half as likely as their white counterparts to have a husband or cohabitating partner. Close to 70 percent of black children are born to unmarried mothers. And among black parents of two or more children, 40 percent had children with more than one partner. Panelists will address the role of family structure in shaping life outcomes for black Americans and offer strategies for strengthening fragile families.

Location: Debate Chamber

Mayor Eric L. Johnson and Reihan Salam

Faced with myriad challenges, from street homelessness to the rise of remote work, American cities are undergoing a crisis of confidence. As mayor of Dallas, Eric L. Johnson has urged the nation’s urban centers to reject progressive virtue-signaling in favor of a back-to-basics approach that champions law and order and practices fiscal conservatism. In this fireside chat, Mayor Johnson will discuss his mayoral agenda and what conservatives can do to spark a nationwide urban revival.

Location: Pecan Room

Raj Chetty and Robert Doar

Harvard economist Raj Chetty will present new research on the sources of intergenerational disparities across racial and ethnic groups and how community fabric and employment contribute to economic mobility.

Location: Debate Chamber

Location: Pavilion

Reihan Salam, Delano Squires, Mene Ukueberuwa, and Chloe Valdary

Black America is in the midst of a demographic and cultural transformation. Over 20 percent of black Americans are immigrants or the children of immigrants. Rising educational attainment has given rise to a new black elite. And in a reversal of the Great Migration, younger, college-educated black Americans are leaving Northern and Western areas for growing metropolitan regions in Georgia, North Carolina, and Texas. Against a backdrop of declining segregation and rising intermarriage, panelists will examine the forces reshaping black identity.

Location: Pecan Room

Charles Blain, Marshall Kosloff, Jason Riley, and Ruy Teixeira

Since the Great Society era, black voters have been largely united behind the Democratic Party. In 2012, for example, Barack Obama won 93 percent of the black vote. More recently, however, a rising share of young, working-class black voters have turned away from the Democratic coalition. This discussion will address the changing nature of the black electorate and how it might affect American electoral politics in 2024 and beyond.

Location: Debate Chamber

Cliff Barber, Richard A. Johnson III, Frances McNeal, and Enisha Shropshire

One major driver of America’s racial wealth gap is the dearth of black-owned businesses. Business ownership is a major driver of family wealth in America, and only 2 percent of US businesses with more than one worker are owned by black Americans. Panelists will address the structural and cultural barriers to black entrepreneurships and offer thoughts on how to overcome them.

Location: Debate Chamber

Robert Doar

Location: Debate Chamber