The American Mythology of Racial Progress

The New Haven Program Committee invited Academy members to join Jennifer Richeson for an interactive conversation on the enduring—and misleading—mythology that America has made steady, linear progress toward racial equality since its founding. Following up on her piece in The Atlantic last September, Richeson led a discussion on the ways this narrative absolves Americans of the responsibility to actively combat inequality. The conversation focused on the widespread misperceptions about racial disparities, the psychological instincts that reinforce these overly optimistic views, and how we can capitalize on the recent national reckoning to produce real and lasting change.

You can find Richeson’s “Americans Are Determined to Believe in Black Progress” here.