The lecture and fireside chat (with introductory framing from filmmaker Justin Schein) will focus on taxes and include clips from the documentary Death & Taxes. Using clips from the documentary, the panelists will explore the false narratives that shape tax policy in the U.S., including "double taxation," "the death tax," and "taxpayers money," while illuminating the real ways in which the tax code creates and supports inequality. Panelists will explore and explain how wages are taxed differently––and thus valued differently––than capital, how the tax code transfers resources to the wealthy in ways that are seen as virtuous and earned, while resources transferred through public benefits are seen as corrupting and unmerited, and how taxing wealth and inheritance is not just about revenue generation but about breaking the cycle of too much wealth and power accumulating in the hands of too few. Panelists will further provide a vision for what taxes can and should do to build an inclusive economic system that supports a thriving democracy.
This event is part of the 2025 Henry Cohen Lecture Series, which will bring leading thinkers, changemakers, policymakers, journalists, and activists to the New School to present their perspectives and explore the intersections of race, social stratification and political economy that inspire economic and racial justice.
Presented by the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy and the Milano Schools of Public Engagement.
Committed to amplifying diverse voices, The New School offers more than a thousand public programs and events each year, providing fresh perspectives and unique learning opportunities. These lectures, exhibitions, concerts, and performances feature prominent and emerging artists, activists, and thought leaders. Be sure to visit our Events Calendar to see the full roster.
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Chuck Collins is the Director of the Program on Inequality and the Common Good at the Institute for Policy Studies where he co-edits Inequality.org. He is author of numerous books about wealth inequality, including the forthcoming book, Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power are Ruining Our Lives and the Planet (New Press, Fall 2025). Other books include: The Wealth Hoarders: How Billionaires Pay Millions to Hide Trillions, Born on Third Base: A One Percenter Makes the Case for Tackling Inequality, Bringing Wealth Home, and Committing to the Common Good, and, with Bill Gates Sr., Wealth and Our Commonwealth. See www.Chuckcollinswrites.com.
Morris Pearl chairs the Board of Directors at Patriotic Millionaires. He was formerly a managing director at BlackRock and had a long tenure on Wall Street, where he invented some of the securitization technology connecting America’s capital markets to consumers in need of credit. He has also co-authored two books: Tax the Rich: How Lies, Loopholes and Lobbyists Make the Rich Richer (2021) and Pay the People: Why Fair Pay is Good for Business and Great for America (2024).
Gabriela Sandoval (they/she) is the Executive Director of EWDi – Excessive Wealth Disorder Institute, where she leads work to address the corrosive influence of excessive wealth on our world. From a faculty position in Sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, to running a professional midwifery school in Mexico and from providing research and policy support for the Closing the Racial Wealth Gap Initiative to leading a successful campaign that made California the state with the strongest energy and broadband protections in the country, Dr. Sandoval has held various professional positions always focused on racial, gender and economic justice. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
The Honorable Nina Turner is a “hell-raising humanitarian” and a tireless advocate for
economic and social justice. Turner made history in 2005 as the first woman to
represent Ward 1 on the Cleveland City Council, and again in 2008 as the first African
American woman to serve as a State Senator in Ohio’s 25th District. She promoted
progressive policies through her work with the Ohio Democratic Party, Senator Bernie
Sanders' 2016 (national surrogate) and 2020 (national co-chair) presidential campaigns,
and during her time as President of Our Revolution. Turner is a former assistant
professor of history at Cuyahoga Community College and host of the "Hello Somebody"
podcast. Turner currently serves as a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Race, Power, and
Political Economy at The New School. Turner is the founder of We Are Somebody, a
capacity building organization for the working class that focuses on supporting workers
across the country. Turner is an author and has contributed to various publications
including Newsweek and the Grio.
