Racial Injustice & Long-term Thinking

Long Now Community,

Since 01996, Long Now has endeavored to foster long-term thinking in the world by sharing perspectives on our deep past and future. We have too often failed, however, to include and listen to Black perspectives.

Racism is a long-term civilizational problem with deep roots in the past, profound effects in the present, and so many uncertain futures. Solving the multigenerational challenge of racial inequality requires many things, but long-term thinking is undoubtedly one of them. As an institution dedicated to the long view, we have not addressed this issue enough. We can and will do better.

We are committed to surfacing these perspectives on both the long history of racial inequality and possible futures of racial justice going forward, both through our speaker series and in the resources we share online. And if you have any suggestions for future resources or speakers, we are actively looking.

Alexander Rose

Executive Director, Long Now

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A recent episode of this American Life explored Afrofuturism: “It’s more than sci-fi. It’s a way of looking at black culture that’s fantastic, creative, and oddly hopeful—which feels especially urgent during a time without a lot of optimism.”The 1619 Project from The New York Times, winner of the 02020 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary,  re-examines the 400 year-legacy of slavery. A paper from political scientists at Stanford and Harvard analyzes the long-term effects of slavery on Southern attitudes toward race and politics.Ava DuVernay’s 13th is a Netflix documentary about the linked between slavery and the US penal system. It is available to watch on YouTube for free here. “The Case for Reparations” is a landmark essay by Ta-Nehisi Coates about the institutional racism of housing discrimination. 
I Am Not Your Negro is a documentary exploring the history of racism in the United States through the lens of the life of writer and activist James Baldwin. The documentary is viewable on PBS for free here.