James White

Dear Friends and Colleagues, Ascend at the Aspen Institute is outraged and deeply saddened by the tragic shooting in Atlanta, GA that took the lives of eight innocent people, including six Asian-American women, last week. Our hearts go out to the families who have suffered such a profound loss as well as the broader Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community who are left grieving and in fear. We condemn this …
Ascend Stands in Solidarity With Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities Read More »

Four outstanding organizations and partnerships have been selected to receive flexible grant funding to accelerate their work moving children and families with low incomes toward educational success, economic security, and health and well-being. Ascend Impact Fund awardees are: “The Ascend Impact Fund is an extension of our investment in values-driven leadership to advance economic mobility …
Four Outstanding Projects Selected for Ascend Impact Fund Read More »

The COVID-19 pandemic has made more evident than ever the need to transform policies, practice, and systems to build upon the inherent resilience of families – especially those with low incomes and from BIPOC communities. In 2018 – 677,529 children experienced maltreatment in the US. 51 percent of those children were Black, Indigenous, or children …

Ascend is honored that our Executive Director Anne Mosle has been named to the Holding Co.’s CARE 100 List, a first-of-its-kind list of the people doing the most to re-imagine and re-humanize our care system. We are even more overjoyed to see so many of our Ascend Fellows, Network partners, Parent Advisors, philanthropic partners, and …

Several cities, states, and municipalities across the US now use the second Monday in October to honor and celebrate Native American history, cultures, and communities. As America grapples with structural racism and the coronavirus pandemic, Indigenous Peoples’ Day offers us an opportunity to reflect on how Native traditions and teachings can offer guidance on how …
Indigenous Peoples’ Day Is an Opportunity to Reexamine History and Reimagine Our Future Read More »

This interview is part of the Aspen Institute’s In Focus: Equity in Education multimedia series. Parents across the nation face the impossible choice of going back to work or looking after their children as states phase into reopening without addressing child care. Like so many states, the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a blow to South …
Child Care is Critical to Getting the Economy Moving Again Read More »