E Pluribus Unum: Achieving Unity in the Face of Diversity

The CSUMB College of Health Sciences and Human Services welcomes Dr. Juan Fernando Torres-Gil, UCLA Professor of Social Welfare and Public Policy and Salinas Native. In a time of great divisions and political polarization, the US faces unprecedented demographic changes: growing older, more diverse, and slated to be a majority-minority nation by 2050. In part, these trends create discomfort and tensions yet the history of this nation demonstrate the overarching need to develop a social contract to which all feel ownership. Is this possible in a time of identity politics, zero-sum political conflicts, media misinformation and the culture wars? What might we learn from the past 250 years of this constitutional democracy? How might the tri-County communities exemplify these tensions and opportunities for a social contract that goes beyond race, ethnicity, immigration status and social and economic inequities. This presentation will provide a gerontological, demographic and public policy lens in addressing these profound and existential questions.

The event begins at 12:30pm with a welcome reception and refreshments, followed by the event program.