Our Dream Deferred American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)

As we kick off season 2 of Our Dream Deferred, co-hosts Tracy Wareing Evans and Karen Heller Key take a moment to reflect on their journey together and what brought them to their individual roles as advocates for positive social change. Episode 1 stories include family histories of taking on injustice along with recent changes in the world that have brought stark relief to issues of racial inequality and historic marginalization, together with a better understanding of the role human services can play in remedying these challenges.
We also explore the importance of sharing perspectives, thinking critically, and taking action to both unlock and highlight human potential. Join us as we reflect on these insights and discuss plans for the rest of season 2.
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Be a part of Our Dream Deferred: Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes. Use the hashtag #OurDreamDeferred. Write to us at jgaron@aphsa.org.
Our Dream Deferred is produced by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). Editing and sound design for this episode was done by Bea Mitchell.

In this episode, we explore the importance of human-to-human contact and
the impact it can have on our lives. Our guest, professor of psychology and public affairs at Princeton University and a recipient of a MacArthur Genius Grant, Dr. Elizabeth (Betsy) Levy Paluck, emphasizes the value of engaging with people around us in order to have a positive impact on the issues that affect us all.

We also discuss the need to examine norms, how norms subconsciously filter how we interact with one another, as well as benefits of real-life conversations in shifting those norms.
Join us as we delve into the power of human connection and the unwritten rules that shape us.
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Links:
“The effect of a supreme court decision regarding gay marriage on social norms and personal attitudes” - https://spia.princeton.edu/system/files/research/documents/Paluck.pdf 
“Engineering social change using social norms: Lessons from the study of collective action” -
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352250X20301081 
“The Supreme Court Overturned Roe. Will Americans’ Views Toward Abortion Change” -
https://behavioralscientist.org/the-supreme-court-overturned-roe-will-americans-opinions-toward-abortion-change/ 
A report on a field experiment with London-area train commuters on the avoidance of pleasant
conversations with strangers - https://julianaschroeder.com/s/Hello-Stranger-June-2021.pdf 
“Type Less, Talk More” - https://hbr.org/2020/10/research-type-less-talk-more 
“Rational Ritual: Culture, Coordination, and Common Knowledge” -
https://academic.oup.com/princeton-scholarship-online/book/13454 
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Be a part of Our Dream Deferred: use the hashtag #OurDreamDeferred or write to us at
jgaron@aphsa.org.
Our Dream Deferred is produced by the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA). 
Editing and sound design for this episode was done by Bea Mitchell.

In this episode, we’re joined by Lilliana Mason, Professor of Political Science at Johns
Hopkins University's SNF Agora Institute, and author of Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity. Bringing together her unique blended expertise in political science and social psychology, Lilliana (Lily) digs into the details behind partisan animosity and the disturbing increase in extreme partisanship, especially changing attitudes toward the use of violence in politics.

Importantly, Lily’s work is helping us understand how the study of intergroup conflict applies in politics. Her work shows that Americans have becoming increasingly "socially sorted," resulting in lives where we live, work, and engage almost exclusively with people who share our identities—and the ways this sorting leads to distrust and otherizing, dramatically shifting attitudes and beliefs about others outside of one’s own political identity. Sorting—and what it does to us—limits our ability to compromise and build common ground. Through her research, she is equipping all of us with the knowledge imperative to ensuring our political parties can continue to be collaborators in our democracy.
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Resources:
Uncivil Agreement: How Politics Became Our Identity by Lilliana Mason - https://amzn.to/3KpG9Ya 
Radical American Partisanship: Mapping Violent Hostility, Its Causes, and the Consequences for
Democracy by Nathan P. Kalmoe and Lilliana Mason - https://amzn.to/456IIpW 
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Be a part of Our Dream Deferred: use the hashtag #OurDreamDeferred or write to us at
jgaron@aphsa.org.
Our Dream Deferred is produced by APHSA. Editing and sound design for this episode was done by Bea Mitchell.

We’re joined by Dr. Crystal Hoyt, Professor of Leadership Studies and Psychology at the Jepson School of Leadership at the University of Richmond. Her scholarship looks at the intersection of human belief systems and social justice, and in this episode, she offers us a look into research she and colleagues have conducted that uncovers unseen influences on both individual thinking and on shared societal perspectives that in turn affect wealth inequality and poverty.
Dr. Hoyt shares insights on how mindsets shape our understanding of social issues, offering a fresh perspective on the state of American economic inequality and poverty. During our time together, she also explains how mindsets impact what we believe is possible, including whether eliminating poverty is achievable. By helping us understand the different kinds of mindsets, and why understanding their distinctions matters, we can better advance anti-poverty policy solutions.
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Resources discussed:
Mindsets of Addiction: Implications for Treatment Intentions - https://bit.ly/3OCYUsd 
Believing in the American Dream Sustains Negative Attitudes toward Those in Poverty –
https://bit.ly/3sa3bfs 
Growth Mindset Messaging in Stigma-Relevant Contexts: Harnessing Benefits Without Costs -
https://bit.ly/3QFhQcL 
The Implications of Mindsets of Poverty for Stigma Against Those in Poverty - https://bit.ly/44aFPn1 
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Be a part of Our Dream Deferred: use the hashtag #OurDreamDeferred or write to us at jgaron@aphsa.org.
Our Dream Deferred is produced by APHSA. Editing and sound design for this episode was done by Bea Mitchell.

In this episode, part one in a two-part episode, we welcome Nat Kendall-Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at the FrameWorks Institute. A long-time collaborator with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), he introduces the insightful world of narrative framing and its potential power in driving cultural change.
Nat is an expert in psychological anthropology and communication science and describes for us what framing is, the science behind it, and how integral cultural mindsets are to understanding how we—as a society and as individuals—view the central issues that confront us today. Nat helps us understand how three prevailing mindsets in the United States too often trigger unproductive ways of thinking, hampering discussion and solutions.
This conversation points to ways that learning how to frame an issue that evokes more productive cultural mindsets can enable all of us to better advocate for changes that help people reach their full potential.
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Resources:
https://beyondconflictint.org
Renewing American Democracy: Navigating a Changing Nation - https://bit.ly/44C8BNL 
“Are we really as divided as we think? How dark forces are attempting to alienate us from our neighbours” - https://bit.ly/3sEQ1Y5 
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Be a part of Our Dream Deferred: use the hashtag #OurDreamDeferred or write to us at jgaron@aphsa.org.
Our Dream Deferred is produced by APHSA. Editing and sound design for this episode was done by Bea Mitchell.

In this episode, we continue our conversation with Nat Kendall-Taylor, Chief Executive Officer at the FrameWorks Institute. A long-time collaborator with the American Public Human Services Association (APHSA), he introduces the insightful world of narrative framing and its potential power in driving cultural change. Be sure to listen to part 1 if you haven’t already done so!
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Be a part of Our Dream Deferred: use the hashtag #OurDreamDeferred or write to us at jgaron@aphsa.org.  Our Dream Deferred is produced by APHSA. Editing and sound design for this episode was done by Bea Mitchell.