A world without prisons? Ridiculous. Schools that foster the genius of every child? Impossible. Work that doesn't strangle the life out of people? Naive. A society where everyone has food, shelter, love? In your dreams. Exactly. Ruha Benjamin, a Princeton University professor, insists that imagination isn't a luxury. It is a vital resource and powerful tool for collective liberation.

Imagination: A Manifesto is her proclamation that we have the power to use our imaginations to challenge systems of oppression and to create a world in which everyone can thrive. But obstacles abound. We have inherited destructive ideas that trap us inside a dominant imagination. Consider how racism, sexism, and classism make hierarchies, exploitation, and violence seem natural and inevitable, yet all emerged from the human imagination.

Benjamin will be in conversation with Panama Jackson, an award-winning writer, author, columnist for theGrio.com, and host of the “Dear Culture” podcast on theGrio Black Podcast Network.

Hosted by Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave., NW, Washington, DC. Learn more here.