'Healing Our Divided Society': The Kerner Commission at 50 Rothermere American Institute

This presentation and discussion, features Gary Younge (University of Manchester) Alan Curtis (Eisenhower Foundation) on the legacies and lessons of the Kerner Commission and their relevance to the current American moment. Alan Curtis, President, Milton S. Eisenhower Foundation

Gary Younge, Professor of Sociology, University of Manchester

Chair: Mitch Robertson, Politics Graduate Scholar, Rothermere American Institute.

In 1968, the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, commonly known as the Kerner Commission, concluded that America was heading towards “two societies, one black, one white – separate and unequal”. Today, America’s communities are experiencing increasing racial tensions and inequality, working-class resentment over the unfulfilled American Dream, white supremacist violence, toxic inaction in Washington, and the decline of the nation’s global example.

This presentation and discussion with Alan Curtis and Gary Younge was hosted by Mitch Robertson and the Rothermere American Institute on 16 June 2020. Alan Curtis is President of the Eisenhower Foundation and recently co-edited Healing Our Divided Society with Senator Fred Harris, the last surviving member of the Kerner Commission. The book reflects on America’s urban climate today and sets forth evidence-based policies concerning employment, education, housing, neighbourhood development, and criminal justice based on what has been proven to work – and not work. Gary Younge is an award-winning author, broadcaster, and academic. He writes for The Guardian and the Financial Times.