Taking Stock: Biden’s Equity Agenda

Upon assuming office, President Biden proposed an ambitious equity agenda, designed to address systemic racial, gender, ethnic and economic disparities. One year into his Presidency, we will examine his record. He has made some historic picks to lead his Administration and nominated the first black woman to serve on the Supreme Court. However, even a much scaled down social spending bill—which would have delivered some of the most consequential investments in the social safety net since the New Deal—seems dead in the water. The Biden Administration’s efforts to address voting rights, immigration policy and economic inequalities have been stalled by a deeply divided Congress. GBH News Senior Reporter Phillip Martin leads a panel discussion to examine the present impact and future fate of Biden’s equity agenda, the fierce backlash, and how this is likely to influence voter enthusiasm in the midterms. This series builds upon Suffolk University’s historic mission of access, opportunity, and engagement with our alumni and the communities to which we belong. It’s sponsored by the Department of Political Science and Legal Studies in collaboration with the Ford Hall Forum, The Washington Center and GBH’s Forum Network.

Gregory Fried

Professor Fried has taught at the University of Chicago, Boston University, California State University Los Angeles, and Suffolk University. He teaches and publishes in political philosophy, with a particular interest in responses to challenges to liberal democracy and the rise of ethno-nationalism. He also works in philosophy of law, especially law and hermeneutics; philosophy and race; practical ethics, including just war theory; public philosophy; the history of ethics; Ancient philosophy; and 20th century Continental philosophy, especially Heidegger. [Source: Boston College]

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford

Cheryl Clyburn Crawford is the Executive Director of MassVOTE. In addition to her role at MassVOTE, Cheryl is the 2nd Vice President of the NAACP-Boston Branch. She is a former Executive Board Chair of EmergeMA. She sits on the Women's Pipeline for Change’s Oversight and Planning Board. She is an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Prince Hall affiliated organization. She is a member of the Attorney General’s Advisory Council on Racial Justice and Equity and a board member of American Promise. Before MassVOTE, Cheryl served as Campaign Manager and then Chief of Staff to State Representative Willie Mae Allen. Born in New York, Cheryl grew up in Boston and is a graduate of Lesley College, Cambridge, MA. [source:Mass.gov]

Tanisha Sullivan, Esq.

**Tanisha Sullivan**, a Brockton-raised lawyer and former Boston Public Schools chief equity officer, is the current President of the NAACP Boston Branch. Sullivan’s work as an attorney has included involvement in the Economic Justice Project and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, where she helped entrepreneurs with issues related to forming and growing businesses.

Explore:

Forum Network

Partners

GBH Forum Network