Creating Transatlantic Inclusive Democracies

Against the backdrop of a deadly health pandemic and the killing of George Floyd in the United States, 2020 saw the rise of anti-racism and justice movements across the Atlantic that to a certain extent have led to renewed conversations on race. The Biden administration has vowed to make diversity, equity, and inclusion a cornerstone of its program, and judicial reform seems more likely now than in the past ten years. Across Europe, citizen engagement campaigns are seeking to enfranchise people from all socioeconomic and racial backgrounds. On both sides of the Atlantic, these developments have demonstrated how interrelated race is with access, power, and rights and that there are still barriers to making Western democracies inclusive. Not only is there a need for renewed conversations about racism in everyday life—from individual actions to institutionally entrenched practices—but the different approaches to race in Europe versus the United States need to be recognized. Transatlantic partners have a key role to play here: working to bring marginalized groups and leaders to the table and tackling the broader concept of socioeconomic and political inclusion. This conversation will look at what makes a democracy inclusive, what are the best ways to achieve sustainable transatlantic inclusive policies, as well as social justice for all citizens.