Virtual Event: Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman

Harvard Book Store’s virtual event series welcomes award-winning researcher, entrepreneur, and editor ANNA GIFTY OPOKU-AGYEMAN for a discussion of her anthology The Black Agenda: Bold Solutions for a Broken System. She will be joined in conversation by FRANKLIN LEONARD, founder and CEO of Black List.

About The Black Agenda

From ongoing reports of police brutality to the disproportionate impact COVID-19 has had on Black Americans, 2020 brought a renewed awareness to the deep-rootedness of racism and white supremacy in every facet of American life.

Edited by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, The Black Agenda is the first book of its kind—a bold and urgent move towards social justice through a profound collection of essays featuring Black scholars and experts across economics, education, health, climate, and technology. It speaks to the question “What’s next for America?” on the subjects of policy-making, mental health, artificial intelligence, climate movement, the future of work, the LGBTQ community, the criminal legal system, and much more.

Essayists including Dr. Sandy Darity, Dr. Hedwig Lee, Mary Heglar, and Janelle Jones present groundbreaking ideas ranging from Black maternal and infant health to reparations to AI bias to inclusive economic policy, with the potential to uplift and heal not only Black America, but the entire country.

Praise for The Black Agenda

“This book is the first step towards defining Black expertise, assigning value to the work that we do, and taking up space in the public on our own terms. I, for one, am looking forward to being able to knock people on the head with the collection. I’m looking forward to the spaces in need of critical self-reflection that make this book a normal part of routine business and the discourse. And most of all, I am looking forward to everybody with any resource, no matter how small, reading this book too.” —Tressie McMillan Cottom, author of Thick: And other Essays

“The Black Agenda mobilizes top Black experts from across the country to share transformative perspectives on how to deploy anti-racist ideas and policies into everything from climate policy to criminal justice to healthcare. This book will challenge what you think is possible by igniting long overdue conversations around how to enact lasting and meaningful change rooted in racial justice.” —Ibram X. Kendi, bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist and Stamped From the Beginning

“The Black Agenda is bold and unflinching, tackling urgent issues coupled with policy-oriented solutions. I look forward to the work that this volume will catalyze in the world.” —Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lewis, Harvard Associate Professor and Founder, The Vision and Justice Project