Earlier this year, In the Public Interest launched a program called Governing for the Common Good, which aims to help make government work for all of us. 

But the last few months of protest have reinforced a profound truth: Structural (or systemic) racism, more than anything else, stands in our way. For all of us to thrive and be safe, we must understand and eliminate the racist laws, policies, and regulations that have remained hidden for far too long.

That’s why we’re excited to lift up the Roosevelt Institute’s upcoming discussion on how the hidden rules of race have driven today’s social and economic inequality.

On Wednesday August 6, 2020, join economist William “Sandy” Darity Jr., Community Change President Dorian Warren, and Roosevelt Institute President and CEO Felicia Wong for the webinar “Hidden Rules of Race and the Role of Reparations,” starting at 3pm ET.

The discussion is based on the 2017 book, The Hidden Rules of Race: Barriers to an Inclusive Economy, which I highly recommend. In that book, you’ll learn how rules have been improved throughout American history—think Reconstruction. But also how each wave of progress has been followed a reactionary backlash. You’ll learn how racism is built into the very foundation of our economy, and much more.

Now more than ever, we must reimagine the idea of public to include all of us. We must root out racist practices and rules embedded in the public goods we all rely upon: housing, health care, education, the safety net, and more. For example, we must stop policing students of color in our public schools, and instead give them more resources and support, like counseling.

Because if it’s not for all of us, then it’s not truly public.