The last 18 months have been tumultuous as America has faced a series of crises — a global pandemic that brought the economies of the world to a standstill, a bitterly contested presidential election that ended with baseless claims of election fraud and left the nation as divided as ever, and a rise in politically motivated violence and extremism that culminated with an attack on the Capitol itself.

We believe that this conference provides an occasion to refocus our attention on the future — on how social justice can be promoted in the areas of health care, education and culture, and how the idea of the American Dream can sustain us with a new vision of hope and opportunity.