The Bridge

The Bridge was the Aspen Institute’s program on race, identity and inclusion. It is powered by the Peabody Award-winning Race Card Project™ founded by former NPR Journalist Michele Norris.

The goal was to access the stories, people and threads that make up our complex cultural landscape and then to engage Americans to talk across difference, race, inclusion and identity. We sought to share that knowledge and those lessons to activate and inspire change, engage people to talk across difference and examine the deeply entrenched narratives that define or confine communities.

  • About The Race Card Project

    In 2010, journalist Michele Norris began inviting people to distill their thoughts on the word race to six words. Printing 200 postcards and issuing a call to action, Norris and her team were unsure of what – if anything – would result. What took root was a groundswell. With just a small footprint, it was clear Norris has created a vehicle for expression and voice it seemed many were longing for. Today, more than 200,000 “postcards” from all 50 states and 90 countries have been shared. Many with backstories and photos that capture what’s behind the statements you’d rarely hear expressed out loud. The hard truths and earned trust in the Race Card Project’s vast archive of personal narratives will serve as the cornerstone of the Bridge.