
2020 and the Edge of Transformation
2020 Festival
Two visionary leaders discuss what the upheaval of 2020 is revealing about who we are as Americans and who we are called to be. At a moment that demands we reimagine so much about our democracy — as persistent, systemic inequities are laid bare — how do we pursue immediate reforms while not losing sight of long term, wholesale transformation? How do we cultivate civic engagement even as we confront a new chapter in a long history of voter suppression? And because we do not have the luxury of giving up, what are the big ideas that might give us hope in the face of cynicism?
- 2020 Festival
- USA
Understanding the moment
America is facing several urgent tests. The country is struggling to gain control of a raging pandemic, grappling with a long history of anti-Black racism, and rapidly approaching an important presidential election. Brittany Packnett Cunningham says that due to the confluence of the pandemic and our growing awareness of racial injustice, “the deepest inequities in our society have been laid bare.” However, this moment also presents an opportunity for change, and change is already happening. Neighbors are stepping up to support each other through the pandemic, and cities and states are beginning to take action to combat racism. Packnett Cunningham and Stacey Abrams say it’s essential that we take advantage of this moment and force change where we need it most.
Examining and ending voter suppression
Abrams was the first Black woman in the US to be a major party’s nominee for Governor. Her historic 2018 Gubernatorial campaign was closely watched around the country. She says voter suppression wreaked havoc on Georgia’s voting populace during the election. Abrams’s opponent was Brian Kemp, secretary of state for Georgia, who oversaw elections. Since 2012, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports the State removed 1.4 million people from the voting rolls. The state has put into place some of the strictest voting laws in the nation, according to the paper, and many of the disenfranchised voters are people of color. Abrams lost the election and in response founded the voting rights nonprofit Fair Fight Action, which seeks to end voter suppression. She talks about the history of voter suppression in the US.
Abrams has her eye on the future. She lays out strategies she thinks need to be put in place to fight voter suppression.
Big IdeaI want us to do what we know works, which is same-day registration, universal automatic registration, the elimination of prison disenfranchisement. We need to ensure that at the age of 17, you are automatically pre-enrolled to become a voter. The moment you become 18, you should have the full panoply of opportunities.Stacey Abrams
Where do we go from here?
Given the blatant disenfranchisement of many people, it’s no wonder America struggles with voter turnout. Brittany Packnett Cunningham says people believe that “a system that has always counted them out is not going to change anytime soon.” The irony is that when people come together in mass numbers to make their voices heard, they can force change. What then, do we say to those who feel their vote won’t make a difference? Abrams says it’s their responsibility to keep voting anyway.
Big IdeaWhat I want people to understand is, there is no one-shot fix. And yes, you are absolutely right that you have not been told the truth. The truth is that it can get better, but it will not get better if we abdicate our responsibility. I don't vote because I believe it changes the world, I vote because I know silence absolutely doesn’t.Stacey Abrams
She urges voters to get involved in other ways. First, focus on the importance of the Census. “It dictates who writes the maps for the next decade,” says Abrams. Additionally, voters need to make sure their civic engagement doesn’t end at the ballot box. “We need to fight for policy because it doesn't matter if you elect folks if you don't hold them accountable for doing the things you demand,” she says.
Americans need to keep fighting, protesting, advocating, and engaging with representatives or our voices will continue to be unheard, Abrams says.
Explore More
USA


Most Americans today would agree that the dream of supporting a family and living a good life on one full time salary is not available to vast numbers of people. Wages have no...


Climate change catastrophes are already happening with increasing regularity, and it’s clear we need to take action. The Biden administration has set a target of zero carbon e...


Even when the economy is booming and unemployment is low, millions of Americans still face economic hardship. And in the last few years the United States has dealt with supply...


Almost everyone agrees that immigration policy in the United States is lacking, but despite decades of debate, Congress has not been able to pass comprehensive reform on the i...

Americans seem more culturally and ideologically divided than at any point in most of our lifetimes, with no prospect of bridging those divides any time soon. The only thing w...

It’s a fact: In communities where voting rates are higher, health outcomes are better. That’s why ER physician Alister Martin, the Founder of Vot-ER and CEO of A Healthier Dem...


Populations around the world have been electing more and more autocratic leaders in the past couple decades, via supposedly free, fair, and democratic elections. The freedom o...


Merely defining gun violence is difficult, and coming to agreement on what to do about it often seems near-impossible in the United States. But people on all sides of the deba...


The U.S. Supreme Court continues to issue major decisions that have profound impacts on the lives of Americans and the political future of the country. During the term that ju...

At the 2023 Aspen Ideas Festival, we dug into some of the most important and fascinating issues of our time, from rebuilding trust in our institutions and the promise and peri...

If one dives deeply into the statistics, the American Dream is actually quite alive and well. In his provocative book, The Myth of American Inequality, former U.S. senator Phi...

How do we describe the Republican Party today, and what are the dynamics that will shape its future?

In their new book, co-authors and Stanford professors Rob Reich and Mehran Sahami argue that big tech’s obsession with optimization and efficiency has sacrificed fundamental h...

Join John Hamre, CEO of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, for a dynamic exploration of the transformational forces that will shape the global community throu...

Journalist Tom Friedman reflects on 28 years of reporting, and renowned architect David Adjaye shares how he approaches the design of physical spaces — and how those spaces ha...

With the dream of the Oslo Accords long in the rear-view mirror and no prospect of an agreement between Israelis and Palestinians ahead, is it time to give up on the two-state...

In this new Aspen Ideas format, all attendees gather each morning to kick off the day by exploring a current issue of deep complexity. For decades, American policy regardin...

From Washington to Biden, presidents have changed America — and the world — for both better and worse. If the American presidency is the ultimate test of leadership, what does...

Even at a time of intense partisan polarization, it is still possible to get things done in Washington. Hear from Representative Jason Crow (D-CO) and Representative Tony Gonz...

The generative artificial intelligence genie is out of the bottle. When we look back 30 years from now, what will we be able to point to that we got right?