Andrew Yang on 'A Nation in Crisis: Polarization, Pandemic and Prejudice'

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang gives high-fives to campaign volunteers following a town hall meeting at Penn Central Mall on Saturday, Jan. 25 in Oskaloosa, Iowa.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images file

Entrepreneur and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said the COVID-19 pandemic brought into clearer focus the economic devastation of families and communities. Ten years of economic and technological trends have been compressed into weeks, and many of these changes will be permanent.

Yang called for people to “build bridges” and to “share the country” with people who don’t agree with you. “The last thing we want to do is generalize — or even villainize — tens of millions of Americans.”

“Technology doesn’t care about your political beliefs.”

He again pitched his idea for a universal basic income and said we need to broaden what we mean by “work,” and change the ways we measure the economy.

Andrew Yang spoke at the St. Olaf College Institute for Freedom and Community in a session titled, “A Nation in Crisis: Polarization, Pandemic, and Prejudice.” Professor Edmund Santurri, the Morrison Family Director of the Institute for Freedom and Community, interviewed Andrew Yang on Sept. 1.

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