NEXT: Visions Toward a Less-Divided America

This collection of essays wrestles in personal, profound ways with the hope that our country can rediscover its better self even in the face of climate emergencies and pandemic shutdowns, outrages and protests. The writers in this collection of essays tell the story of a country learning not to turn its back to the changeable and restless forces of history.

A mixed-race mother reflects on being mistaken for a nanny at her children's playground. A writer interrogates his own relationship to "Asianness." Parents confront fears around their children's futures, and a historical essay asks us to confront inequality at its starkest: the unmarked graves awaiting some of our unhoused. By looking intimately at the biased thinking that has fueled our divisions, these writers-clear-eyed, inviting, insightful-chart a new way forward. These are the visions that are Next.

Contributors:

Jabari Asim

Artress Bethany White

Timothy Patrick McCarthy

Anri Wheeler

Greg Harris

Grace Segran

E Dolores Johnson

Robbie Gamble

Aime Card

Justin Chen

Ananda Lowe

Amy Shea