The year 2020, as well as the new 2021, has proven yet again that racial equity remains so far from our grasp in the United States. In the Jan.–Feb. issue of Generations Today, authors explore the intersections of racial and cultural identity, ageism, poverty and the need for responsive policy in the In Focus section: “Of Aging: Equity, Economics and Class.”
Kilolo Kijakazi from the Urban Institute brilliantly answers the question, What Might it Mean for the United States to Achieve Equity for Older Adults of Color? UCSF’s Carroll Estes, Jarmin Yeh and Nicholas DiCarlo, in Precarity, USA, explore the deeply rooted inequities in this country and the tug-of-war between democracy and capitalism. Michelle Altman, Teresa Ghilarducci and Siavash Radpour of the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis detail the outsized economic impact of COVID on older adults in The Economics of Equity, while PHI’s Robert Espinoza and AARP Thought Leadership’s Jean Accius lay out 10 actionable racial equity strategies in More Than Ever, COVID-19 Needs a Racial Justice Response, for ameliorating what COVID-19 has wrought.
Also in this issue Joanne Lynn from the Altarum Institute drafts a cogent plan around older adults for the Biden Administration going forward, in 100 Days for Biden et al. to Change the Course of Elderhood; the Diverse Elders Coalition’s Rebecca Owl Morgan, Kayla Sawyer and Ocean Le explain why and how It’s Time to Stop Neglecting the Needs of American Indian and Alaska Native Caregivers; and poet and writer Toni Mirosevich proves how personal stories can often best illuminate the human condition in her beautifully written piece on homelessness, A Place to Be.
We always welcome feedback on articles, and would love to hear from members about this issue. Please email Leanne Clark-Shirley and ASA Editorial Director Alison Biggar with any thoughts on these stories, or to propose new ideas!
Leanne Clark-Shirley is ASA's VP, Programs and Thought Leadership.
