The Dallas Festival of Ideas Will Focus on Equity in April 29 Gathering

What sent people into the streets? That was the question organizers of the Dallas Festival of Ideas asked in the days following the July 7 peaceful protest and police ambush downtown. A few weeks later, they organized community meetings in search of answers. “That’s when the word ‘equity’ entered our conversation,” said Larry Allums, executive director of the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture.Equity is the overarching theme for the third annual Dallas Festival of Ideas, which is organized by the Institute, The Dallas Morning News, CrowdSource and Public City. The free, day-long festival on Saturday, April 29, will feature speakers, performers and interactive sessions focused on how to make Dallas a more equitable city for all its citizens.“I think it’s going to be a really vibrant, rich, meaningful day,” said Emily Hargrove, chairwoman of the festival’s steering committee. “But also an opportunity for the city to come together and talk about difficult issues in a safe space with a real eye to action.”For the first time, the festival will join forces with the Dallas Book Festival, holding events at City Hall Plaza, the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library and on Young Street. The book festival, which drew 4,000 attendees last year, is organized by the Dallas Public Library and the Friends of the Dallas Public Library. The two festivals will co-host opening and closing plenaries. Each festival will have its own programming running in parallel across the day."In just a couple of years, the festival has emerged as an exciting laboratory for ideas and approaches to change,” said Mike Wilson, editor of The News. “This year's speakers are sure to fuel a lively conversation about how Dallas can be a more equitable and therefore livable place.”The Dallas Festival of Ideas' keynote speakers include:  Continue reading...