400 Years of Inequality

2019 marks the 400th Anniversary of the arrival of the first Africans to be sold into bondage in North America, in 1619 at Jamestown. This tragic event will be observed October 12 through 18, 2019. 400 Years of Inequality, homed at The New School, calls on families, organizations, neighborhoods, and cities to observe the anniversary by telling their stories of oppression and resistance.

400 Years of Inequality has created a Starter Kit to organize, observe and build a lasting knowledge and understanding that inequality is a threat to our health and democracy. Nearly 400 years of division have created an apartheid society. We need a new social infrastructure to carry us through the challenges of climate change, decaying physical infrastructure, rapidly evolving jobs, underperforming schools, uneven access to health care, and lack of affordable housing. Observers are encouraged to share their plans here.

Mindy Fullilove is a professor of urban policy and health at the Milano School, is also on the Organizing Committee for the 400 Years of Inequality project.

She arrived at The New School in 2016 after 26 years at New York State Psychiatric Institute and Columbia University. Trained at Bryn Mawr College and Columbia University, she has conducted research on AIDS and other epidemics of poor communities and is interested in the links between the environment and mental health. Her research examines the mental health effects of environmental processes such as violence, segregation, and urban renewal.

Source: 400 Years of Inequality