NEW DREAMS FOR AMERICA at Union Theological Seminary at St James Chapel

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Visions2030 and Union Theological Seminary will present New Dreams for America,  a landmark, future-facing gathering featuring an evening keynote by Fábio Scarano, Chief Curator of Rio de Janeiro’s Museum of Tomorrow, UNESCO Chair in Futures Studies, and author of Regenerative Dialogues for Sustainable Futures. Scarano will explore futures thinking, utopias, hope, and the role of imagination in shaping sustainable societies offering a perspective from the Global South, where the future of democracy is being actively reformulated. He will be introduced by Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary. 

Taking place March 26, 2026, on Union’s Upper Manhattan campus, New Dreams for America aims to inspire attendees to consider what the future and the American Dream could—and should—be in the century ahead.

A special performance by Vijay Iyer, a leading contemporary composer and pianist, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and multiple-time Jazz Artist of the Year, will follow the keynote. The event will conclude with a reception.

“The ‘American Dream’ has inspired generations around the world,” says Yona Backer, a member of Visions2030. “Reimagining it as a meaningful reality for all is the challenge of this moment. It is not about lamenting the present, but about daring to imagine the future we long for—and doing so together, across differences.”

Union Theological Seminary President Jones adds: “The aim is to stimulate imagination—to see whether dreaming together can move our thinking, actions, and practices forward. As the future unfolds, we want to step into it with new energy, insight, and excitement about where this project called America can go.”

“At a time of national reckoning, what might the American Dream become for the future?”, asks Carey Lovelace, founder of Visions2030. “What would your “new dreams” be?”

The event is free and open to the public and you can reserve your seat here.