The Idea of America
Description
Darren Walker has lived the promise of America.
Born to a single mother in a Louisiana charity hospital, the pride of Head Start and public schools in rural East Texas, Walker serves today as the tenth President of the Ford Foundation, among the largest private foundations in the United States. Since 2013, he has overseen more than $7 billion in grantmaking, while transforming philanthropy and inspiring conversations about and commitments to democratic values and institutions around the world. As Walker writes, "I have lived on both sides of American inequality. And I know, all too personally, that the distance between the two has never been greater."
In The Idea of America: Reflections on Inequality, Democracy, and the Values We Share, Walker argues that we can narrow our widening divides by rediscovering our common aspirations and common good. With an original foreword by President William Jefferson Clinton, this prescient, timely compendium introduces us to an essential leader of and for our moment-in his own words-through his most essential reflections, essays, and speeches.
Across 97 selected pieces, many published here for the first time, Walker shares from his:
- Uniquely American story and extraordinary life's journey
- Bold leadership of the Ford Foundation, whose efforts and assets he marshaled to uproot inequalities of all kinds
- Audacious vision for a philanthropy that prioritizes justice beyond generosity-and that practices a new Gospel of Wealth for our new gilded age
- Lifelong passion for arts and culture, wellsprings of empathy and of social change
- Trailblazing advocacy for a more democratic capitalism, which ensures that where markets lead, justice follows
- Urgent reaffirmation of America's enduring promise-that from many, we are one, and that all deserve dignity, fairness, and opportunity
Ultimately, Walker calls for courageous, moral leadership from us all-challenging us to step back from the extremes, to lean into nuance and complexity, and to build longer bridges.
"Hope," Walker affirms, "is the oxygen of democracy." The Idea of America gives powerful testimony to all that is possible "if we renew our fidelity to the values that bind us, both despite and because of our differences."
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DARREN WALKER is president of the Ford Foundation, among the largest and most influential philanthropic institutions in the world. Since 2013, Darren has overseen more than $7 billion in grantmaking, while transforming the foundation, philanthropy, and promoting democratic values in the United States and around the globe. TIME has recognized him among their 100 Most Influential People and he has received twenty honorary degrees.
Content
Foreword xxv
President Bill Clinton
Part I My American Story and Our American Journey
Finding My Way Home 9
Statement upon Appointment as President of the Ford Foundation
New York, New York July 25, 2013
Build a Bridge to a Better World 14
Address to The University of Texas at Austin Class of 2015
Austin, Texas May 23, 2015
The Power of the Mighty Sunflower 20
Address to The University of Texas at Austin Law School Class of 2016
Austin, Texas May 21, 2016
Activism Is Our Rent 25
Address to the Sarah Lawrence College Class of 2018
Bronxville, New York May 21, 2018
A Proud Son of the American South 31
June 28, 2021
Healing and Serving the World 34
Sermon to Church of the Heavenly Rest
New York, New York October 23, 2022
Repeal of Affirmative Action Is Only the Beginning 41
The New York Times
June 30, 2023
Part II Uprooting Inequality and Moving The Ford Foundation Forward
Enduring Mission, New Vision 49
Inaugural Address to the Ford Foundation Community
New York, New York September 9, 2013
Taking Stock, Looking Ahead 56
2014 Annual Message
September 2, 2014
Work in Detroit Doesn't End with Grand Bargain 62
Detroit Free Press
November 19, 2014
What's Next for the Ford Foundation: A Blueprint for Social-Justice Philanthropy 65
June 11, 2015
All In on Detroit 72
with Kofi Appenteng
Detroit Free Press
June 15, 2015
Moving the Ford Foundation Forward 75
November 8, 2015
Putting FordForward into Action 84
June 30, 2016
Ignorance Is the Enemy Within 91
2016 Annual Message
September 12, 2016
Unleashing the Power of Endowments: The Next Great Challenge for Philanthropy 99
Stanford Social Innovation Review
April 5, 2017
A $1 Billion Experiment in Philanthropic Investing 109
The Wall Street Journal
April 7, 2017
Aligning Our Investments and Our Values 112
October 18, 2021
Healing the Breach: The Ford Family and Ford Foundation 116
With Edsel B. Ford ii
Fortune
December 5, 2024
Part III A New Gospel of Giving for Our New Gilded Age
Rejecting the Tyranny of Strategy 125
Stanford Social Innovation Review
May 15, 2014
Toward a New Gospel of Wealth 128
2015 Annual Message
October 1, 2015
Maintaining the Mobility Escalator Together 136
Statement upon Election to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
Cambridge, Massachusetts October 18, 2015
Why Giving Back Isn't Enough 140
The New York Times
December 18, 2015
Philanthropy Is an American Idea and Birthright 144
Time
June 30, 2016
The Coming of Hope: A Vision for Philanthropy in the New Year 147
2019 New Year's Message
January 9, 2019
The Hard Work of Hope: How We Move Forward 155
2020 New Year's Message
January 22, 2020
In Support of Philanthropic Pluralism 160
with Heather Templeton Dill, Kathleen Enright, Sam Gill,
Brian Hooks, and Elise Westhoff
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
April 13, 2023
Finding Philanthropy's Forgotten Founder 165
The Atlantic
September 9, 2024
Part IV The Art of Democracy
Open and Free: On Arts, Democracy, and Inequality 177
Address to the Association of Art Museum Directors
Mexico City, Mexico January 26, 2015
The Imperative of Diversity in Arts and Culture 184
Introduction of Partnership with New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
New York, New York January 27, 2015
On the Art of Change 188
Skoll World Forum
Oxford, United Kingdom April 17, 2015
The Detroit Institute of Arts Belongs to the People- as Does the City of Detroit 193
Ford Foundation Board Meeting
Detroit, Michigan June 16, 2015
Our Nation's Most Precious Heritage 195
Address to the President's Committee on Arts and Humanities
Washington, dc
September 10, 2015
Yes Justice, Yes Peace: The Role of Art in Confronting Inequality 201
Frances Tarlton "Sissy" Farenthold Endowed Lecture
Rothko Chapel Houston, Texas October 3, 2016
The Art of Democracy: Creative Expression and American Greatness 206
Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy
The Kennedy Center
Washington, dc
March 20, 2017
Celebrating Democracy's Art 218
Address to the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies
The United States Department of State
Washington, dc
April 16, 2018
Museums Need to Step Into the Future 222
The New York Times
July 26, 2019
Through Art, Hope-and Through Hope, Justice 226
Address to the Bennington College Class of 2021
Bennington, Vermont May 28, 2021
The Urgency of Art: Art and Justice During a Time of Crisis 232
Rothschild Foundation Lecture
The Royal Academy of Arts London, England November 7, 2023
Part V Democratic Capitalism: Economic Opportunity and Shared Prosperity
Where Markets Lead, Justice Must Follow 247
Address to the Presidio Graduate School Class of 2015
San Anselmo, California May 30, 2015
Internships Are Not a Privilege 253
The New York Times
July 15, 2016
Building Inclusive Economies in an Era of Inequality 256
Address to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Summit on Inclusion, Innovation, and Resilience
Paris, France November 22, 2016
On the Future of Work(ers) 261
October 1, 2018
The Value of What Matters 267
Address to the IE University, Madrid, Class of 2019
Madrid, Spain July 19, 2019
How to Save Capitalism from Itself 273
Fast Company
October 17, 2019
Are You Willing to Give Up Your Privilege? 278
The New York Times
June 25, 2020
In Response 50 Years Later: The "Subversive Doctrine" of Milton Friedman 282
As Submitted The New York Times
September 14, 2020
Shared Company Ownership May Be the Missing Path to the American Dream 285
with Pete Stavros
Fortune
August 11, 2022
AI Is Changing Everything- and We Need New Guardrails 288
with Hemant Taneja
The Washington Post
March 28, 2023
Part VI The Covid- 19 Crisis: Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Measures
A Note from Home 295
March 20, 2020
Why Foundations Like Mine Need to Give More to Stave Off the Collapse of Vital Nonprofits 300
The Chronicle of Philanthropy
June 8, 2020
Extraordinary Times, Extraordinary Measures 304
June 11, 2020
To End the Pandemic, Every Business Leader Must Put Worker Health and Equity First 311
Fortune
February 23, 2021
Rebuilding Our Post- COVID World Together 314
March 24, 2021
An Equitable Vaccine Rollout Must Prioritize the Most Vulnerable 319
The Washington Post
April 6, 2021
How to End Global Vaccine Inequality 322
with Charlize Theron
Time
October 6, 2021
The Stubborn Persistence of Vaccine Inequality 326
Foreign Affairs
November 2, 2021
Part VII From An American Century To Inclusive Global Engagement
Democracy Has No Finish Line 335
Address to Ford Foundation Trustees Symposium
Johannesburg, South Africa February 11, 2014
A New Global Era of Urban Disruption 340
Address to UNHABITAT, World Urban Forum 7
Medellín, Colombia April 7, 2014
How Can We Help You? 345
2015 CIVICUS State of Civil Society Report
July 8, 2015
Old Money, New Order: American Philanthropies and the Defense of Liberal Democracy 354
Foreign Affairs
October 15, 2016
Supporting Ukraine and the Values of Democracy 365
March 9, 2022
Building a More Inclusive Global Order 370
The New York Times
September 19, 2022
Part VIII Out of Many, One: Why Difference Need Not Yield Division
The Opposite of Inequality Is Justice 379
Address to the Hostos Community College Class of 2015
South Bronx, New York, New York June 4, 2015
Choosing E Pluribus Unum 383
Address to the University of Vermont Class of 2019
Burlington, Vermont May 19, 2019
Confronting Anti- Asian Violence 389
March 17, 2021
Building Multiethnic, Multiracial, Pluralist Democracies 391
Statement upon Appointment into the Order of the British Empire
New York, New York March 22, 2023
Turning the Rising Tide of Anti- Semitism 394
September 15, 2023
Holding Fast to Our Shared Humanity 397
October 22, 2023
The Democratic Values That Bind Us Together 399
Address to the American University of Beirut Class of 2024
Beirut, Lebanon June 8, 2024
Part IX The Promise of America
A New Testament of Hope 407
Expanded Version
December 15, 2014
What Makes Us Exceptional: The Act of Perfecting, Not the Fact of Perfection 415
Address to the Hunter College Class of 2016
New York, New York January 21, 2016
The Power of Privilege 422
Address to the Bowdoin College Class of 2016
Brunswick, Maine May 27, 2016
Let America Be America Again 427
2017 New Year's Message
January 4, 2017
Justice Over Greatness: A New Year's Reflection 432
2018 New Year's Message
January 17, 2018
With Four Freedoms, Four Responsibilities: A Defense of Democratic Values 441
Expanded from Addresses to the Classes of 2017
at Michigan State University, Simmons College, Oberlin College, and Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies
February 2018
Democracy Is a Threat to White Supremacy 478
January 7, 2021
The Dawn Is Ours 480
January 22, 2021
Inclusion Is Patriotism of the Highest Order 482
The Washington Post
July 2, 2021
Jefferson's Republic, 246 Years On 485
Rededication of the Burial Ground for Enslaved People
Monticello, Virginia June 17, 2022
These Truths We Hold 489
The New York Times
July 4, 2022
Part X In Celebration: Profiles in Love and Leadership
My David: A Love Story 499
Read by Anna Deavere Smith
New York, New York February 23, 2019
John Lewis: A Legacy of Good Trouble 505
July 18, 2020
The Resolve and Righteousness of Ruth Bader Ginsburg 507
September 19, 2020
Standing on the Broad Shoulders of Vernon Jordan 509
March 2, 2021
Celebrating the Remarkable Legacy of Franklin Thomas 511
December 23, 2021
Franklin Thomas, Giant of Justice and Generosity 513
Remarks in Remembrance
New York, New York January 9, 2022
Vartan Gregorian: The Philanthropist's Philanthropist 516
Tribute at Carnegie Hall
New York, New York April 13, 2022
Unafraid, Unbowed, and Unapologetic: The Life and Legacy of Judy Heumann 519
March 6, 2023
Harry Belafonte: Firefighter for Justice 522
April 25, 2023
The Gift and the Grace of Alma Powell 524
Tribute at the Kennedy Center
Washington, dc
October 25, 2024
Cecile Richards, Champion for Justice, Forever Undaunted 529
Tribute at the Ford Foundation
New York, New York February 1, 2025
Part XI A Call for Courageous, Moral Leadership
A Call for Moral Courage in America 537
2017 Annual Message
September 6, 2017
In Defense of Nuance 546
2019 Annual Message
September 9, 2019
The Imperative of Moral Leadership 551
2020 Annual Message
October 7, 2020
Democracy at a Crossroads: A Call for Courageous Leadership 558
Benjamin Menschel Distinguished Lecture at Cooper Union
New York, New York March 4, 2024
There Is No Leadership Without Risk 568
The New York Times
October 20, 2024
Acknowledgments 573
Credits 579
About the Author 581
