Nordic countries are often seen as models of equity, equality, and social justice. But what are the ways that the Nordic countries are approaching the inequalities that they still face? In this virtual panel, four distinguished guests — Swedish hip-hop artist Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité, Swedish author Jonas Hassen Khemiri, Danish author Simon Pasternak, and Swedish-Ethiopian chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelsson — will join us for a discussion on recent cultural contributions and voices who continue to discuss inequality both in the Nordic countries and the U.S. Topics will include race and diversity in the Nordic context, their centrality to conceptions of equality in the Nordic countries, the everyday inequalities that have surfaced and approaches to their mitigation, and how immigration to and within the Nordic countries has complicated the discussion. 

Please send audience questions ahead of the discussion to info@amscan.org. Select questions will be chosen for a Q&A following the conversation. Registration is required; please sign up at the link above.

This event is now available to stream. Watch the full video below:

Jason “Timbuktu” Diakité is one of Sweden’s most well known hip-hop artists. Born in Lund to American parents—an African American dad and a white mom—he has released eight solo albums and numerous singles, the majority of which have reached gold or platinum status. His accolades include eight Swedish Grammy awards and four P3 Guld (Swedish radio) awards. He has performed all over the world, from Africa to Svalbard, from the Apollo in New York City to the Roxy in Los Angeles and at the Polar Music Prize and Nobel Peace Prize award ceremonies. Jason is the author of the critically acclaimed memoir A Drop of Midnight, which has sold more than one hundred thousand copies in Sweden and was adapted by the author into a stage performance in 2017.

Jonas Hassen Khemiri is the author of five novels, six plays, and a collection of essays, plays, and short stories. Among his many honors are the August Prize, the highest literary award for Swedish literature; the Enquist Literary Prize; the Borås Tidning Award for Best Literary Debut Novel; and an Obie Award. His novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and his six plays have been performed by more than one hundred companies around the world. He lives in Stockholm, Sweden. The Family Clause was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux on August 25, 2020.

Simon Pasternak (1971) is a publisher of Danish and translated fiction at Denmark’s largest publishing house, Gyldendal Publishers. He has published works by Yahya Hassan, Christian Jungersen, Naja Marie Aidt and Kim Leine among others. Simon Pasternak has himself written six novels (Death Zones was published by Harvill&Secker in 2016) as well as TV series and features.

Marcus Samuelsson is the acclaimed chef behind many restaurants worldwide including Red Rooster Harlem, MARCUS Montreal, and Marcus B&P in Newark, NJ. Samuelsson was the youngest person to ever receive a three-star review from The New York Times and has won multiple James Beard Foundation Awards including Best Chef: New York City and Outstanding Personality for No Passport Required on PBS. He is the author of multiple books including The New York Times bestselling memoir Yes, Chef and his latest book THE RISE: Black Cooks and the Soul of American Food, debuting on October 27. His podcast titled This Moment with Swedish rapper Timbuktu is out now. Follow Samuelsson on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter at @MarcusCooks.