Principal speaker
Ashton Applewhite
Other speakers
Madonna King
From childhood on, we're barraged by messages that it's sad to be old. That wrinkles are embarrassing, and old people useless. Author and activist Ashton Applewhite believed them too - until she realised where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. Ashton Applewhite explains the roots of ageism - in history and in our own denial - and how it divides and debases, examines how ageist myths and stereotypes cripple the way our brains and bodies function, looks at ageism in the workplace and the bedroom, exposes the cost of the myth of independence, critiques the portrayal of olders as burdens to society, describes what an all-age friendly world would look like, and concludes with a rousing call to action.
Ashton will be in conversation with award-winning journalist, author and commentator Madonna King.
Author and activist Ashton Applewhite is the author of This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. In 2016, she joined PBS site Next Avenue's annual list of 50 Influencers in Aging as their Influencer of the Year and Lifetime Arts recently awarded her their 2018 Game Changer Award.