Emi Nietfeld, The True Meaning of Resilience

Public History Guest Speaker

Join us for a public talk with Emi Nietfeld as she gives insight into her rejection of the easy label of an “overcomer.” Even though she kept her dreams alive against the odds and attended a top college, she knows it wasn’t solely due to resilience: success required luck, privilege, and support. In this passionate talk, Nietfeld asks her audiences to throw away the American fantasy that poverty, illness, or any other adversity can be conquered through sheer grit and bootstrapping ingenuity. She urges us to shift our focus from encouraging “resilience” and instead address the underlying social problems and provide individuals the support they need to persevere. THE TRUE MEANING OF RESILIENCE This event is sponsored by the Roy E. and Abigail Disney Speaker Series and the History Department, with SUPPORT FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE HUMANITIES (NEH) Challenge Access Grant.