On September 10, 2011, at the Fair Economy Summit in Minneapolis, john a. powell addressed the problem of the concentration of power and wealth in corporate America. powell provided an overview of the coinciding history of the Gilded Age, Lochner era, and Jim Crow era, during which time the courts used the 14th Amendment to protect corporations and make them “citizens.” powell also discussed how racial diversity has created tremendous anxiety and a withdrawal of support for public space in favor of corporate space. Throughout the talk, powell emphasized the importance of realigning corporations to be in service of democracy.
